Out of My Element
by itsmonicarose
Summary: A budding friendship between an unlikely pair can lead to something more. Something unexpected. Unknown to everyone in the New Directions, how long can they keep this a secret before they are forced to come clean?  Starting from the episode "Prom Queen".
1. Watch the Chemicals React

"_But the planets all aligned,  
>When you looked into my eyes and just like that,<br>Watch the chemicals react."_

* * *

><p>"Crazy night, huh?" Sam asked, pushing the door open for Mercedes. It was only fifteen minutes ago that prom had ended, but aside from a few couples that decided to stay on grounds to make out, the McKinley High campus seemed to be deserted.<p>

"I'll say." Mercedes smiled as she walked past Sam, out into the crisp night air that is usual for Ohio. She pulled her shawl tight around her shoulders. "But I had a nice time."

"So did I." he smiled back at her, shoving his hands into his pockets and falling into step next to her. "You know, I really hope that Finn and Rachel sort out whatever it is they've got going on."

They were on their way to the parking lot, to her car. Sam's only ride home. She had offered to take him as soon as he realized that all the others guys had ditched. Puck with Lauren and apparently Artie, Mike with Tina, and Finn, well, who knows where Finn ran off to? He disappeared right after his little fight with Jesse. And she figured she didn't want to bother Kurt and Blaine. They looked too happy to be bothered at all tonight.

Mercedes eyed the blond boy.

"You hope that Finn and Rachel sort out their relationship issues?" she shook her head. "I thought you of all people would be upset that he pressured Quinn into cheating on you."

He shrugged. "I guess…when I really think about it, Finn's not such a bad guy. I mean, he _did _invite me to the Glee club in the first place. And he brought me clothes so I wouldn't have to wear Kurt's old stuff, not that I minded, but yeah. And, if I'm being honest, I wouldn't have made such an awesome group of friends if I hadn't joined up anyway."

Mercedes smiled. She never would have expected that answer, though it seemed genuine, coming from Sam. "Well, we're glad you decided to stick with us."

"Me too." He said with a shy grin. She looked over at him, and his smile grew wider, spreading to the corners of his eyes. "And it helps because I'm able to do tons more impressions compared to the few I knew when I started. I can do Mr. Schue now. Wanna hear?"

Mercedes laughed, smacking his shoulder playfully. "You're such a dork, Evans."

They had reached the car, only one of the very few still sitting in the parking lot. Mercedes unlocked it and opened her door, stepping inside. She could see Sam hesitate on the other side, but then he silently did the same.

It was only after they were on the highway, heading towards the motel, that Mercedes noticed how quiet it had gotten. Sam wasn't speaking anymore. She watched him out of the corner of her eye. He had his head turned towards the window, looking up at Lima's night sky.

"What's up?" she asked, wanting to break whatever tension it was that he felt. She wasn't the type of person to feel awkward, no matter the situation, but she understood how it was for others. Not everyone could have her fierce, confident attitude.

He still hadn't looked at her, but he hung his head slightly, looking down at his hands in his lap. His hair drooped over, covering his eyes, and he bit his lip.

"I always say the stupidest things." He whispered, more to himself than to her, she realized. "What's wrong with me?"

"What?" Mercedes said, frowning. She wasn't quite following him. "What are you talking about? You didn't say anything wrong."

"I'm _such _an idiot. That's _exactly _what Santana was telling me to avoid. And here I go again, completely screwing it up."

"Ok, what does Santana have to do with anything?"

"She basically made it known, plain and simple, that she thinks I'm a big dork. And that I had to stop with my stupid impressions." He was quiet for a moment, thinking. "Why can't I stop?"

Santana. Mercedes rolled her eyes. She had nothing against the girl. Aside from the brief period of time when she had that week-long fling with Puck, Santana never actually bothered her. Mercedes learned to ignore most of the girl's jabs, forcing them to roll right off her back. She wanted to be the bigger person when it came to Santana. Fighting and arguing with her would have never done the glee club any good.

She sighed, but kept her eyes on the road. She had only just realized why he grew silent after she called him a dork.

"Ok, you listen to _me_." She waited for a few seconds, and when he didn't say a word, she continued. "What you've got to realize is something like that, coming from _Santana _of all people, shouldn't have meant anything to you. Because, honestly Sam, that dorky, awkward guy that you're talking crap about right now? Yeah, he was my prom date. And I had a damn good time with him. And I certainly don't appreciate having to listen to any hate towards him."

She finished it all in only a few breaths. She could have said more, but decided not to go on any further. She was waiting for _him_ to say something. But he just sat there, staring off into space.

She hoped he believed her. Because everything she said was true. Only a few days before prom, Mercedes had confessed to Rachel how much she was hoping to have that Cinderella moment, with the perfect dress and perfect guy. Sam was that guy for her, tonight. When he reached out to her, when he asked her to dance, it was as if everything she was hoping for suddenly came true. Literally in the blink of an eye. She wondered to herself if Sam could even begin to understand how much of a positive impact he had on her entire junior prom experience.

He still hadn't said anything. She opened her mouth to say something, ready to add more to her speech to try and make her point, but Sam beat her to it. "You…you like my impressions?" His voice was just above a whisper. He took a glance at her, his hair still covering his eyes.

Mercedes resisted a sudden urge to brush the locks of hair away from his face. Instead, she kept her hands firmly on the wheel. _Eyes on the road, Mercedes. _She thought, and pushed herself to answer him.

"Well, I think they're cute." She said, simply. At least that got a smile out of him.

In no time, or what seemed like it anyway, Mercedes had pulled up into the parking lot of the motel. She had never actually seen the place before, but her heart sank as the dingy building with its blinking sign came into view. Pulling into an empty space, she watched as a woman peered cautiously through a blind, one arm folded across her chest. The woman caught Mercedes' eyes in the darkness, and she smiled sadly. She seemed to let out a heavy breath and she let the blind fall again, disappearing from view.

"My mom." Sam said, gesturing towards the window. "She was worried that I wouldn't get a ride home and that I'd have to hitchhike." He laughed, finally running his hands through his hair, pushing it back. Mercedes let out a silent breath as she watched every lock of hair fall right back into place. "I told her not to worry. She doesn't understand, though. New Directions wouldn't let that happen."

"Of course not." She thought of how all the other guys had left early, but decided against bringing that up.

Sam looked over at Mercedes. The same sad smile his mother wore was now on his face, and she wished that there was some way she could turn it into a genuine one. Instead, he took a deep breath, looked at the window again, and then back at Mercedes.

"Thanks for getting me to come tonight."

"Oh, no problem. It was really Rachel's idea-"

"No, really." He shook his head. "I needed this. This…experience, I guess. I've been so stressed out with everything going on. Everything's been so crazy at home. I wasn't even planning on going."

She offered him a kind smile. "I know, but it didn't even cost you anything. I mean not really. The money was only a loan, remember? So you can pay us back whenever you can."

"Yeah, I know. But do you know what I was planning on doing this evening, Mercedes? I was going to babysit. All night. I have no idea how I got my mom to agree to giving up an evening of job hunting."

A laugh escaped Mercedes' lips. "But Stevie and Stacey are adorable. And they can't be _that _much trouble. They sure don't look like it, anyway."

"No, you're right. They're no trouble at all. But it's just that being with them, spending so much time with them…I don't know. It gets me thinking about how they're so young and they don't really understand what's going on and I keep wishing that things would get better, just for them. But it just doesn't. Things _aren't _getting better."

Mercedes grew quiet. She didn't know what to say.

That didn't seem to bother Sam though. Instead, he appreciated her silence and continued.

"But being with you tonight…you made me smile, Mercedes. More than I have in a long time. I love my brother and sister more than anything, but I was able to forget about everything just for a few hours. I laughed and danced and just _smiled_. So…thank you."

And right at that moment, Mercedes decided that he _would _be able understand that he had made her night a memorable one. Because she had made his just as memorable.

Silence fell between the two of them again as they caught each others gaze. However, this time, it wasn't awkward. No, this one was filled with rattled nerves and slow building tension. It was the kind of silence where you feel, deep in your gut, that something big was about to happen. And boy did Mercedes feel it.

Sam reached out and placed his hand over hers and squeezed it. Just once. Then he let go.

From this simple touch, a warm sensation made its way from her hand and up the length of her arm.

Her heart skipped a beat.

With a small smile, Sam unbuckled his seat belt, opened the door, and stepped out into the motel's parking lot. He closed the door behind him, but tapped the glass before walking away. Mercedes rolled the window down and he crouched in to face her one more time.

"And I meant what I said."

She shot him a confused look, her eyes narrowed. He knew she didn't understand what he was talking about.

"What I said when I asked you to dance. You really did look beautiful tonight."

If her heart had skipped a beat before, it was nothing compared to how it was reacting right at this moment. A hot blush crept up her cheeks.

Sam laughed and Mercedes panicked inwardly, hoping to God that he didn't notice the blank expression she was now wearing. She wasn't used to this kind of attention. Sure, she walked with her head held high and knew that she basically embodied the word 'diva', but compliments from a guy? _Real, genuine compliments?_ The kind that only girls like Quinn and Santana get on a regular basis? No, this kind of attention was definitely new territory to her. And she didn't know how to react.

Before she could say anything and mess the moment up though, Sam spoke.

"Well, that doesn't really matter anyway, I guess. You're always beautiful." And after a final, fleeting glance, he pushed himself away from the car and waved goodnight. She watched him carefully as he made his way up to the door and opened it. And as soon as he did, his younger sister, Stacey, ran up to him, flinging her little arms around him.

Mercedes could just barely hear her over the purring of the car's engine.

"Sammy, you're home! I was worried sick!" Sam, shocked by the sudden charge of the little girl, had stumbled back a few steps. He righted himself and ran a hand through her blond curls, laughing. Sam reached down to pick Stacey up, whispered something in her ear, which made her giggle, and took her inside. It grew immensely dark outside after the stream of light coming from Sam's apartment was put out.

It was all Mercedes could do to drag her hands away from where they lay, frozen on her lap, and place them on the steering wheel. She backed up the car, drove out of the parking lot, back onto the highway.

The image of his hand on hers, burned in her mind.


	2. Second Thoughts and Cover Ups

"_Run far away, so I can breathe,  
>Even though you're far from suffocating me.<br>I can't set my hopes too high,_  
>'<em>Cause every hello ends with a goodbye."<em>

* * *

><p>The sound of Mercedes' heels on the hardwood floor of her parent's tidy home echoed down the hallway. She cringed, hoping no one heard, and quietly slipped off one shoe and then the other. If her parents were sleeping and she happened to wake them up, she would never hear the end of it. She was already tired and still in a partial daze due to the night's events, and just wanted to take a hot shower and head to bed. She didn't think now was a good time for a lengthy conversation with her sleep deprived parents.<p>

But she had only placed one foot on the step to go up to her room, when she heard a voice from behind her.

"Well, aren't we home late?"

Mercedes turned to see her older brother, Marcus, standing in the doorway to the living room. He was leaning against the frame with a sly smirk on his face. He folded his thick arms and glared at his younger sister.

"Fun night, Cedes?"

Mercedes grinned and rolled her eyes. "Marcus, what are you doing here?" she walked over to give him a hug. "I thought you didn't finish classes for another week."

He smiled, ruffling her hair playfully. Mercedes swatted his hand away.

"I was, but my professor came down with a bad cold. He decided to cancel our final and gave us our grades early. It was my last one, so I came home early as a surprise." He eyed Mercedes thoughtfully. "And imagine my surprise when I get home and mom and dad tell me that you were at prom."

Mercedes let out a heavy breath and turned away from him. She wasn't in the mood to deal with Marcus' jokes and teasing. And besides, she didn't want her memory of the night tainted by her older brother.

"Aw come on Cedes, don't be like that." He grabbed her arm just as she started up stairs and pulled her back down. "The Mercedes I know would have never gone to prom. So what made you decide to go? Was it a dare?"

"Shut up, Marcus. And no, it wasn't a dare. I went with a group of friends. We agreed to go together. It's not a big deal."

"Was it with those glee club kids mom was telling me about? What are you called? The Nude Erections?"

"Oh my god," Mercedes groaned. "Thanks a lot for that mental picture." She shook her head fiercely.

But it's not like she was suddenly picturing every guy in New Directions or anything. And she was especially not picturing Sam.

Sam.

She felt a sudden rush of heat to her cheeks, and turned away from her brother again. Her next few words came out in a rush. "Look, I'm tired. You know, prom…dancing…heels. Gonna go to bed. 'Night." And she headed upstairs as quickly and quietly as she could.

It wasn't until she was in the comfort of her own room that she allowed herself to go into full on girl mode.

She dropped onto her bed, beaming from ear to ear. Her shoes fell onto the floor with a soft thud and she tried her hardest to suppress a delightful squeal.

"Did tonight actually happen?" she whispered. She thought back through everything. Starting from when she and Rachel had brought the idea up to Sam, through the actual prom, and then ending with him waving goodbye. Her mind was racing.

She brought her hand over her chest and rested it on her heart. Was that racing too? She couldn't tell. Memories kept flooding back to her, too distracting to think of anything else. She remembered little instances where his hand had touched the small of her back or when they brushed against her arms as they danced or the smell of his cologne as he leaned in close, to speak into her ear over the loud music.

It honestly seemed too good to be true.

She suddenly realized that she was filled with too much adrenaline to go to sleep. That and a part of her was afraid that if she did go to bed, she would wake up only to find out that it really was a dream. And she didn't think she could deal with that.

Instead, she righted herself on the bed and pulled her phone off of her nightstand.

She had to tell someone. This was a big deal for was no way she was going to keep this in without letting someone know.

Without thinking, she immediately punched in Kurt's number and held the phone up to her ear.

Kurt answered after three rings.

"Hello?" Mercedes smiled to herself as the familiar voice rang in her ear. He sounded a little breathless, not like the usual composed Kurt she knew.

"Hi!" she said brightly, still smiling. She couldn't stop herself.

"Hey." Kurt said happily, but not with as much enthusiasm as Mercedes.

There was silence.

"So…" Kurt's voice trailed off. Mercedes leaned in closer to her phone. She thought she heard a voice, whispering in the background, but whoever it was, Kurt shushed them and his voice came back louder. "Uh…so how was your night, Miss. Jones?"

Mercedes sat up straight, ready to fill Kurt in. She didn't even know where to start; she had so much to say.

"Well," she began. "After-"

But she broke off almost instantly, as a series of images flashed in her mind. Her smile faded slightly as she pushed past each one. Rachel and Jesse together. Rachel and Puck together. Finn and Rachel. Quinn and Sam. Finn and Quinn. Artie and Tina.

She sat on her bed in silence, her thoughts bouncing from one couple to another.

"Hello? Um, Mercedes?"

Relationships never lasted long in the New Directions, she knew that. She saw it. There was constant bickering, whispering about each other, gossip. Couples broke up and in turn, hearts were broken. She loved being a part of the group, of course, but she knew that it wasn't the safest place for a new relationship.

The thought made her cringe in embarrassment. Who was to say that Sam was even looking for a relationship? Maybe he just needed a friend, and Mercedes just happened to be available. Was she looking for one? She spent so long denying that she needed a man, and was one night at prom going to change that?

"Mercedes?"

And there was the simple fact that it really was only one night. Maybe she was looking too much into things. Maybe she interpreted what was just Sam being his normal self for something more.

Her heart twisted painfully as this realization hit her. She was being delusional about a guy. Again.

"MERCEDES JONES."

"Huh?"

"What has gotten into you? Did you drink? Were you out drinking after prom? Oh my god, are you drunk dialing me?"

Kurt's hysterical voice brought her back down from her thoughts and she laughed softly. "No, Kurt. Calm down, I'm not drunk."

"Oh. Ok, good. Because I can't come and get you if you were."

"Why? Where are you?"

He hesitated before answering. "Um, nowhere. Uh, home. I'm home." He sounded so flustered. She narrowed her eyes, though she knew he couldn't see her.

"Kurt, are you-" she stopped herself short. She was going to ask if he was with Blaine. But something told her that it really wasn't any of her business if he was, and Kurt didn't seem like he wanted to talk about it anyway. "Never mind. But hey, I'm going to bed. Had a big night. I'll call you tomorrow?"

"Yes, ok. Sounds good."

"'Night Mr. Hummel."

"Goodnight Miss. Jones. Sweet dreams." And he hung up.

She tossed her phone onto her bed and collapsed forward, burying her face in a pillow. A big part of her wanted everything that happened with Sam to be real. Another part of her wanted to tell Kurt, to gush and giggle that she finally had someone to gush and giggle over, but she couldn't. She was scared. What if, on Monday, she walked into class and Sam totally ignored her? She couldn't risk psyching herself up for something, only to have it come crashing down on her. She didn't want a repeat of what happened last year with Kurt, when she created a whole relationship with him inside her head, only to find out that he wasn't interested in her in that way at all.

As strong as she is when having to face the world or even just McKinley High, she was relatively sure that her heart was nowhere near as strong to be able to deal with that kind of disappointment. And for a second time too.

With a sigh, she climbed off her bed and moved over to her dresser. She changed out of her dress and into pajamas, and went to turn off the light.

She lay in bed for a few minutes, just staring up at the ceiling.

And she promised herself, that this time, she wasn't going to let her feelings for a guy get the best of her. She would keep her emotions in check. Even as his voice played over and over in the back of her mind and his words pulled at her thoughts, she was going to ignore it. For the sake of her heart, she had to.

It took her a while, but eventually, she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p>"<em>I think that possibly,<br>maybe I'm falling for you."_

Sam woke with a start on Monday morning, his father's alarm clock blaring on the other side of the room. He lifted his head off the pillow and glanced over at his dad. He had reached over to hit the snooze button and fell back to sleep almost instantly.

It was 7:30. Time to get dressed.

Groggily, Sam pushed himself out of bed, careful not to wake Stevie, who had climbed under the covers next to him in the middle of the night, and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

He stared at his reflection in the mirror. His blond hair was growing past his ears now and it stuck out every which way. He ran his fingers through it, trying to force it back, but it was no use. They fell right back down and hung just above his eyes. He was going to have to get it cut, soon. He promised himself that as soon as he got some cash, he was going to do just that. It was annoying the heck out of him.

Not long after, he was dressed and ready for school. His mom had woken up, already making breakfast for Stacey and Stevie. They were both seated at the table, chatting quietly to each other over their bowls of cereal. Sam grabbed a few slices of toast from another plate his mom had set out, and threw his book bag over his shoulder.

"Dad outside already?" he asked. His mom looked up from the dishes and nodded.

"Yes, he's waiting for you."

"Okay, I'll see you later." He said. He ruffled Stevie's hair and kissed Stacey goodbye and headed out the door.

His dad sat in the car, his face looking tired and old. Sam couldn't help but feel that his parents were aging faster than they should, with every day that passed. The stress of job hunting was getting to them, he knew, but yet still they never reacted negatively to him or Stevie and Stacey. They were living in a one room motel, but the truth was that one room was filled with just as much love as a houseful of the stuff.

"Morning." He said as Sam got in and sat next to him.

"Hey." Sam closed the door behind him, and Mr. Evans took off, heading toward his son's school.

"So how was prom? You know, I never got a chance to ask. You got in pretty late on Saturday and I was out most of Sunday."

Sam was quiet for a second, thinking hard. He honestly didn't know where to begin. So he settled on something easy.

"It was great." Yep, that pretty much summed it up, however simple it may sound. He looked over at his dad with a grin. Mr. Evans' eyebrows narrowed as he watched his son.

"Hey," he said, with a lopsided smile. "I know that look. That's not the first time you've had that look." He nudged an elbow at Sam. "Who's the girl? And I thought you were supposed to go with a group."

Sam laughed. "Yeah, the group kind of got smaller as the night went on. But other than that, you're not getting any more out of me. Not yet, anyway. I don't want to spoil anything." He said with a shrug. "Like, you know, jinx it."

"Well, Sam, how's your old man going to know who she is anyway? You can tell me."

This was true. If he was being honest, the thing he loved most about his dad was that he could go to him for just about anything. Their family went through a lot together in the past few months and it really did bring all of them closer. Especially since Sam had decided to keep his financial problems a secret from the glee club, he had no other choice but to confide and trust in his parents. He had no one else to turn to, at the time. Of course, now the entire glee club knows, but that doesn't change the fact that his relationship with his father is a strong one.

However, his feelings for Mercedes were new. They were strong, he wouldn't deny that, but they were definitely new. He didn't want to jump the gun and make it into something big without knowing where they both stood.

"I know. You don't know her. She's just beautiful and confident and funny and understanding and…and I just don't want to mess this up before we even get anywhere. You know? I want to take this slow. Get to know her a little more."

Mr. Evans shook his head and laughed.

"I'm serious, dad. I mean, I did things way too fast with Quinn. I rushed into a relationship and look where that got me." Sam shook his head too, causing his hair to fall into his eyes. He pushed it back, annoyed. "But anyway, I'm serious this time. I really like her and…and I just don't want to ruin it."

With one last look, Mr. Evans decided to give in to his son's request and he dropped the subject.

They had arrived at the school in less than no time, with Mr. Evans making idle conversation to avoid talking about his son's relationship issues. Sam opened the door, but before he could step out of the car, his dad pulled on his sleeve.

"You seem serious about this girl. I really hope it works out for you, son." Sam gave him a small smile, nodded and got out.

He watched as his dad drove away, the car bumping along out of the parking lot and onto the highway, until something, or rather someone, caught his eye.

Mercedes had gotten out of her own car and was walking towards the school, a stack of textbooks in hand. He turned his head away, acting as if he didn't see her.

But a sudden thought came to mind. Would it be incredibly cheesy if he asked to carry her books? He looked her way again and a smile spread across his face.

With just another thought, he realized he didn't care.


	3. Those Awkward Moments

It hadn't taken her long to spot Sam, even through the rush of students that made their way towards the school. His shaggy blond hair and pouty lips made him easily recognizable. Mercedes sat in her car for a few seconds longer than usual, running through everything in her mind. There were a few key things she had to remember if she wanted to keep this situation under control.

First of all, she had to accept the fact that prom was prom, and Sam was probably just under the influence of too much sappy music.

Second, they _had _agreed to go as friends with Rachel. So regardless of the fact that Rachel ditched them both for Jesse didn't change the fact that they came as a group.

And last, she was to treat Sam like she always did. He was just a member of glee club, something she just happened to be a part of when he joined. No romantic interaction whatsoever.

"Ok." She said aloud. She took a deep breath and gathered her things.

Stepping out into the parking lot, she made sure not to look in his direction. She was afraid that if she spared even one look into those blue eyes of his, she would lose her composure in an instant.

As the seconds passed though, and she walked closer to the school, she realized she could do this. She could go about her day and completely ignore the boy. She could avoid falling for him and avoid the painful realization that he never felt anything more than what Kurt felt for her. She smiled inwardly.

_Piece. Of. Cake. _She thought.

At least, that lasted until-

"Hey! Mercedes!" Her head snapped in his direction, almost instinctively, at the sound of her name. He started towards her, hair flopping, lips spread into a smile.

_Dammit. _So much for ignoring him.

"Hey. Good morning." He stopped in front of her and spoke in a light, cheerful tone. He just _had _to be a morning person, didn't he?

"Hi." She said. They stared at each other awkwardly for a few seconds, students and teachers moving past them. No one seemed to notice that the two of them were standing there. "Well, I have to get to class." And she pushed past him, desperate to get away.

"No! Wait!" He reached out to pull the arm of her sleeve, to hold her back, but he missed and stumbled a little as she turned to face him. He regained his composure quite easily though, brushing his hands on his jeans to act like nothing happened. Mercedes couldn't help but laugh.

_Oh my god. _She thought. _Poor guy has _no _game right now._

"Sam, what do you want?" she asked, shaking her head and still laughing. She had to admit, despite the fact that she should be avoiding him right now, he was amusing.

"Uh…" he didn't understand what was so funny, but he smiled along with her, glad for any chance to escape the awkwardness. "No, I- uh…was just wondering. You know, if you needed help with your books." He gestured to the three textbooks she had tucked into the fold of her arm.

She narrowed her eyes. "Seriously?" Did he realize how cheesy that was? Not that she would know, because it's not like guys asked to help carry her books on a regular basis, but really. Who even does that anymore?

Apparently Sam does. He nodded with a lopsided grin.

"Aren't they heavy?"

She didn't answer him, but instead she kept her eyes on his. What was he thinking? Why was he asking to hold her books? What was in it for him?

At that moment though, Sam's face turned a bright shade of red, and he put his hands up in front of him, as if to defend himself.

"But," he said, nervously this time. "It's not like I don't think you can carry your books on your own, or anything. I mean, I know you're completely capable of handling everything yourself, but uh- it was just a suggestion. If you don't need any help, that's fine too." He shrugged.

Apparently he had mistaken her silence as her being offended.

"It's fine." She said, with a smile and a wave of her hand. "They're not too heavy. And I'm just going to drop them off in my locker, so-"

"Oh. Ok. Sure, that's fine." He scratched the back of his head. And he looked around nervously, suddenly avoiding eye contact with her.

Mercedes continued to stare at him, oblivious to the fact that quite a bit of time had passed. Was it bad that right at this moment, she found him nothing short of adorable? With his lips pursed together in embarrassment and his cheeks a light shade of pink, there was no way she could deny that she was attracted to him.

And really, where was the harm in letting him carry her books?

"Well, uh- I guess I could use a little help-"

But just as she was about to hand over her books, a pair of arms wrapped around her and held on tight.

"Miss. Jones, boy do I have things to tell _you_!" It was Kurt, bright eyed and beaming from ear to ear.

Mercedes laughed, surprised when it came out more nervous than normal.

"Oh, yeah?"

Kurt nodded quickly. "I sure do. Hey, Sam." Kurt glanced between the both of them. Sam and Mercedes stood there, both avoiding the other's eyes. "Am I interrupting something here?"

"No!" Mercedes answered without missing a beat. Kurt glared at her. "Of course not. We were just talking…that's all." Sam nodded in agreement.

"Oh. Ok." He said, but he didn't sound like he believed her. To her relief, however, he didn't push the subject any further. "So do you mind if I steal her away?" he asked Sam. He looped his arm through Mercedes'. "I wouldn't mind you listening in, but there are too many ears out here for my taste." He pointed to the rush of students around them.

"Oh, no, uh- sure. I should get to class anyway. I'm already falling behind in English and missing class probably wouldn't help." He looked down at his shoes. "Um, I'll see you guys later."

Mercedes watched him as he left, her heart sinking a little. If only she had just said yes to him and let him carry her books, he wouldn't have walked away looking so down and out.

"Everything ok?" Kurt asked, eyeing her suspiciously. She smiled at him and nodded.

"Yeah. I'm fine. So, what did you have to tell me?" 

* * *

><p>He tried his hardest to focus over the course of the day. As he moved through class after class, he couldn't stop his mind from wandering to her. What class was she in right now? What was she thinking? Was some other guy making her laugh?<p>

He smiled to himself, remembering prom. Her laugh was contagious and all through the night he had found himself thinking up ways he'd be able to hear it. He did his impressions, danced like an idiot, and sang the most ridiculous song with Puck and Artie, just so he could see her smile. And the best part was that everything worked.

And thinking back, he honestly felt more comfortable being with her than with anyone he'd had the chance to get close to at this school.

He looked up impatiently at the clock. It was the last class of the day and his nerves were jumping at the knowledge that he would be seeing her in glee club in just a few minutes. It was strange, how one night could change things. Last week, she was nothing more than a friend, someone who was just a part of this special group he could have called his second family. But after Saturday, he began to see her as so much more.

When he went to bed that night, he shuffled through the memories he had of her in glee club. _How could I have not seen it before? _He had asked himself. It seemed as if she was just the person he needed in his life. Someone confident and not afraid to stand up for the things she believed in. Not to mention she really was a spectacular performer with a jaw-dropping voice.

"Alright everyone, just remember that your paper is due tomorrow as soon as class begins. No exceptions!"

Sam was snapped back to reality as his teacher dismissed the class. It wasn't until he looked around the room and noticed that the other students were moving around that he realized the bell had rung.

With toned excitement, he gathered his things and was out the door within seconds, heading for the choir room.

Apparently Jesse St. James was to be the new 'consultant' for the glee club. Sam didn't care too much for the guy, and still felt a pang of annoyance at the fact that he insulted his bolo tie, but other than that, he really didn't have any reason to not like him. Finn, on the other hand, hated this piece of news, even while the rest of the class sat quiet in their chairs.

As soon as Mr. Schue had announced that he would be holding auditions for the solo at nationals, Sam's eyes flickered to Mercedes. Judging by her performances in glee club rehearsals, he knew how much getting a solo meant to her. She grinned at the word 'audition' and sat up straight in her chair.

He realized that he had no other choice but to back up the new plan, despite Finn's objections.

"Normally I'd agree with you Finn, but this is the big time. I think we should listen to Jesse."

Finn glared at him, but Sam stood his ground. He knew that Finn was totally against Jesse St. James coming back into New Direction territory, especially with the fact that he was clearly still dealing with his feelings for Rachel. But he had his reasons for not siding with the star quarterback and siding with Jesse's idea instead.

It was clear that Mercedes wanted that solo and honestly, he think she deserved it. If supporting Jesse meant that he could, in turn, support Mercedes, he was going to do it. 

* * *

><p>After the meeting, he found Mercedes at her locker, picking up the books she had dropped off in the morning.<p>

"Hey."

"Hi." She said with a smile. She closed her locker door and turned to walk down the hall. "Are you going to sign up for an audition?"

It took him a second to realize that she was still talking to him as she walked away and he hurried to catch up with her.

"Ha. No, I don't think I will. Nationals are a big deal for everyone. Not sure I can personally handle that." She laughed, and his stomach did a back flip. He ignored it and continued. "But you're signing up, right?"

"Yep. We're gonna need some chocolate thunder if we want to win this thing."

Sam grinned. _I agree. _He definitely thought it, but he didn't want to say it out loud.

They had reached the signup sheet, where Santana and Kurt had already written their names down.

"I'm surprised that Rachel wasn't the very first one." She said, before marking her own below Kurt's.

"What are you going to sing?"

Mercedes sighed. "I'm not sure yet. I want to do something big, that'll catch their attention. But I have to think about it. I know Mr. Schue will love whatever we do, but who knows what kind of judge St. James will be." She shook her head.

"That's true." They walked back down the hall together, away from the bulletin board. As a habit, Sam's hand ended up in his pockets. "But, I'm sure whatever you sing will blow them away."

Mercedes looked at him, but just as quickly looked down at her shoes as she walked. She nodded and when she spoke her voice sounded uneven.

"Yeah. I guess. Well, I hope so anyway…"

"Hey," Sam turned to face her, in the middle of the hallway. A kind smile on his face. "You're not nervous, are you?"

"I don't know…maybe? Everyone knows Rachel is a lot better than I am." She thought for a moment and looked down the hall, where the blue paper was tacked to the board. "Maybe I should cross my name out…"

"What? You're kidding me, right?" She shrugged and didn't answer. "No, you're not going to do that. You're going to find a wicked awesome song and you're going to kill that audition."

As he watched her, her eyes grew soft.

"How can you be so sure?" her voice was quiet over the noise of the hallway, but surprisingly, he could hear her just fine.

"Well, because I've heard you sing before. And you're kind of amazing." He blushed a little and he wished that it wasn't so easy for people to tell. He looked down at the floor, trying to avoid her eyes. He didn't want her to know how nervous he was right now. "And just so you know, I'll be rooting for you."

To save himself from any further embarrassment, he gave her a small nod, partnered with an encouraging smile, and walked away. He knew if he stood there any longer, his legs would give way and he'd surely be a laughingstock, not just in front of Mercedes, but the rest of the school.

Mercedes, however, didn't move as she watched him dart out of the doors. She didn't think she could, as her own feet felt glued to the floor. He was rooting for _her. _Not Santana or Rachel, or not even Kurt. He wanted her to get the solo.

And the way he spoke to her. His voice was so gentle, so encouraging, that she wished he hadn't walked away just so she could hear it again.

Suddenly, completely out of the blue, she realized that she had an idea for her audition song. Hopefully, though, she could do it justice and the results would turn out in her favor. 

* * *

><p><strong>Everyone, I can't tell you all how <strong>**thankful**** I am for all the positive reviews you've been giving me. I honestly feel like I don't deserve it, because there are SO many awesome fics out there! But seriously, I appreciate it more than you know. Your kind words have brought a smile to my face, and I really hope you continue to enjoy this!**

**Also, I'm going to try to update as quickly as possible, but I have a habit of going over the chapters again and again, editing them and so on, before I actually submit them. I don't want to rush into updating, ya know? :)**

**But really, thank you all SO much and I hope you stay tuned for more Samcedes! Love these two!  
>3 MonicaRose<strong>


	4. Try a Little Tenderness

He knew it was sneaky. He knew that if someone caught him, he would have to explain what he was doing there. He would probably be forced to explain _why_.

And honestly, he didn't actually have a legitimate reason yet. There was only that gut feeling that he just had to see her perform. He wanted to hear her voice and feel its vibrations as it echoed around the empty auditorium. He wanted to see her lose herself on that stage, as she always did whenever she had her moments in the spotlight. And most of all, he just wanted to see her.

Quietly, Sam slipped into the auditorium and shut the door behind him. From where he stood, he could easily see Mr. Schue and Jesse, sitting at the table situated directly in the middle of the room. They showed no indication that they knew he was there, so he quickly sank into the last empty seat.

Mr. Schue and Jesse were arguing in hushed tones about something Sam couldn't hear, until she stepped out onto the stage. She didn't look nervous, which was a good thing. She stood, with her hand clenched tight around the mic, her eyes closed. And then, with a deep, steady breath, she stated the song she was going to sing.

Mr. Schue nodded and the band started playing.

It didn't take her long to get the feel of the music. Up, down, soft, loud. Her voice fit the music perfectly, flowing over the lyrics in such a way that Sam was convinced she had stolen the solo for that audition just within the first few seconds.

She didn't move all around the stage. There were no fancy dance moves or choreography. No, it was just Mercedes and the music.

That was what he found most fascinating about her. She didn't have to do anything flashy to capture people's attention when she was performing. All she had to do was let her voice go, and people would instantly be in awe.

"All you got to do is try, try a little tenderness." Mercedes sang, note after note.

_I can do that. _Sam thought, practically on the edge of his seat as he listened to her. _I can try a little tenderness. Hell, for you Mercedes, I'll try a lot._

"Hold her where you want her."

_I want you _here_. Next to me. _He couldn't stop the stream of thoughts that erupted from every other lyric she sang. He felt as if she were singing directly to him, though she had no idea he was there.

"Squeeze her_," _He nodded. _I will._

"Don't tease her_," _He shook his head. _Never._

"Never leave her." His breath caught in his throat. _Wouldn't dream of it._

He stared down at her, wishing he was sitting closer, like the very front row. Or maybe standing next to her. Yeah, he'd like that. They should do a duet. Maybe for Nationals? He chuckled to himself, picturing him and Mercedes on a big New York City stage, belting out notes for a big musical number. He would probably be all kinds of nervous, knowing the competition would depend partly on their ability to impress the judges, but what would that matter when he would get to sing with _her. _Maybe the nerves would end up being related to him just being so close to her and would have nothing to do with actually performing.

But Sam's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Mercedes' voice, echoing all the way back to where he was sitting. He focused his attention down on her only to realize that she wasn't singing this time. She was yelling.

Without thinking, Sam frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. He was trying to put together what had made her upset, but all he heard was: "Not too lazy to come up there and let you taste my fist!"

Jesse had leaned forward to say something, but he couldn't hear from all the way in the back. The next thing he knew, Mercedes had walked away in a huff as a confident Rachel Berry took her spot on the stage.

Sam got up from his seat and hurried out the door.

He had to find her. He had to know what was going on, because if Jesse had done anything to make her feel as if that audition was anything less than amazing…well, let's just say that he knew Mercedes wasn't going to be the only one taking a fist to Mr. St. James.

The halls were deserted, as it was early evening by now and everyone had gone home. He walked quickly past classroom after classroom, hoping she wouldn't leave before stopping at her locker or getting a drink from the fountain.

He sped up a little when he heard a locker door slam.

After rounding another corner, he saw her. She was sitting on the floor at the foot of her locker, her books sitting on her lap. She wasn't crying, he knew. She was stronger than that.

With a sigh, he walked over to her.

She didn't look up at him, even as he sat down next to her, crossing his legs and looking down at his hands. They both just sat in silence for a while, the dim hallway seeming to stretch on forever around them.

Sam couldn't take the silence any longer though, and after a few minutes of what he felt was nothing but pure torture, he spoke up. "What happened?"

She let out a breath and laughed. "He said I was lazy."

Sam blanched. "What? You can't be serious. Out of that entire performance, the only stupid thing he could think of was _lazy? Really?" _

Mercedes leaned her head back onto her locker and closed her eyes. "Guess so."

He shook his head. "No. No, he can't honestly think that." He made a move to stand up, ready to head straight back to the auditorium to knock some sense into Jesse, until he felt Mercedes' grip on his arm. She was looking at him now, her deep brown eyes staring into his. They were sad, but serious, and Sam couldn't help but slip back onto the floor next to her. He kept his eyes on hers the whole time.

"Sam," Mercedes said. His name came out as something just above a whisper, light and carefree. At the same time, his stomach did another one of its famous back flips. He realized that he loved how she said his name. He loved how it looked on her lips. He wanted her to say it again.

But instead, she was quiet as her eyes searched his face for something. What it was, he didn't know. She wasn't smiling at him, but she didn't look upset either.

Then, with another whisper she asked, "What are you doing here?"

There it was. The question he was dreading.

He searched frantically for an answer, something to hide his true reasons for being in the school so late when he didn't have an audition. He couldn't say he was part of another club, because everyone knew he was only a part of the glee club. Maybe he could go with the easiest excuse and just say that he forgot a textbook or something and came back to pick it up.

But then, there was also the fact that he knew something was wrong when he sat down next to her. He would have to explain that too.

_Shit_. He thought. What was he supposed to do now?

"Uh, well…" he mumbled something incoherent, something he didn't even understand, and frowned. "You know, I uh-"

"Sam," and he stopped. There was his name on her lips again. He came to the conclusion that he would never get tired of the feeling that gave him. "Really. Why are you here?"

He stared at her and she stared back.

She knew something. And, if he was being completely honest, he couldn't blame her if she had figured him out. He was always blatantly obvious whenever trying to impress a girl, no matter how hard he tried to cover up his feelings. Not to mention his awkward, dorky side would show and eclipse every move he made to flirt. No, if she had figured anything out, it would be because he wasn't careful _enough_.

"Hey." She said, her voice slightly back to normal. She tugged on the arm of his jacket, trying to get his attention. "You still there?

Sam laughed, feeling a blush creep up his neck.

He was going to have to tell her. She wouldn't let it go if he tried to brush it off, and knowing Mercedes, she would be able to tell if he was lying to her. His body grew tense and his palms began to sweat.

_God, I don't want to screw this up._

She was waiting. He had to answer her and he had to do it now. He looked over at her again and noticed a discreet smile dancing on the corners of her lips. She was having _fun_ watching him deal with this internal struggle.

_Oh yeah? Two can play at that game._

He shrugged and began with his lie. "I came to get my math book. I forgot I had homework in it. But as I was walking to my locker, I heard the most amazing voice."

He glanced over at her, and he could see the longing in her eyes. She tried to hide it, but he knew it was there. She wanted him to say that the voice he heard was hers.

"But man, Santana totally killed that song."

Before she could realize what she was doing, Mercedes blurted out, "Excuse me?" But she regained her composure in an instant and she turned away from him. "Oh."

Sam tried his hardest to keep from laughing, but he couldn't help it.

"Are you jealous?"

"Jealous? Me? Of who? Santana?" she rolled her eyes. "Boy, please."

"I don't know. It seems like you're pretty jealous."

Honestly, if he didn't know any better, he would think he was flirting. But no, Sam Evans doesn't flirt. He can't. Right?

"White boy, you better get your eyes _and_ ears checked, because I am _not_ jealous of Santana Lopez."

Sam grinned. He was clearly getting her on edge. "Oh, so I'm a white boy now? I thought I was more to you than that after we had such a good time at prom."

"More than what? We went to prom as a group of friends. There is nothing more to that."

"Well, I disagree." He said.

It took her a few seconds to register that. It took another few for her to realize that she didn't have a response. She stopped short, with her mouth slightly open.

"Y-you do?" she was back to a whisper, her eyes cautious.

Sam's grin grew more pronounced and he turned his body slightly to face her. He nodded.

"Yeah, I do." When she didn't say anything, he reached out to touch one of her hands that rested on top of her stack of books. He pretended to be oblivious to the fact that her chest rose and fell shakily as he did so. "Mercedes, do you want to know the real reason why I was here?"

Stiffly, as if she was just now moving her neck after being frozen for some time, she nodded.

"I came to see your audition. I wanted to hear you sing, because I think you're voice is beautiful and that you deserve a shot at Nationals." He pulled her hand away from the book, holding it in his. "And it was just another excuse for me to see you before I went home."

He leaned in towards her, his hair dangling in front of his eyes. He could hear her shaky breath as she spoke.

"Why would you want to see me?"

Sam laughed, though he didn't really see anything funny about her question. It was just the simple fact that she was so clueless as to how much he cared for her.

He figured that only one thing could set her mind straight, could make her understand what he would like to say but would no doubt mess up if he had to use too many words.

Still holding her hand, he pushed himself closer to her. The air suddenly felt heavy and as his pulse began to race, he willed himself to keep it slow and steady. It would do him no good to rush this. Turning his head in her direction, slowly, he closed the gap between them, brushing his lips softly against hers.

There was a quiet intake of breath from Mercedes as she realized what he was doing. Sam's chest swelled with anticipation as she raised her free hand and placed it on his shoulder, then moved it to the base of his neck. Their entwined fingers released one another and Mercedes' hand eagerly found its way into his hair.

Her books scattered off of her lap and onto the floor, but Mercedes didn't seem to notice or care.

All that mattered for her at that moment was that Sam's lips were on hers. He was soft and gentle, but fierce and excited at the same time. Not even their awkward position, on the floor, at the foot of her locker mattered to her right about now.

Sam smiled against her lips, his hormones getting the best of him. There was a sudden, low groan, deep in his chest, but they both ignored it. He held her face in his hands, throwing all caution to the wind, forgetting his personal promise to keep it slow, and just let himself fall deeper into the kiss.

And Mercedes didn't seem to mind at all. She kissed him back just as fiercely, just as hungrily.

How long they lasted, they didn't know. It could have been just a few, priceless seconds, or maybe several minutes. But whatever it was, when they broke apart, they were both gasping for air.

"Whoa…" was the first word out of Sam's mouth. He stared down into her eyes, their faces still only inches away from each other, and licked his lips.

Mercedes giggled. Something she hardly ever did, but how could she not given what just happened?

"I know." She said, blushing. She reached up to fix his hair, tucking a few crazy strands back into place.

Sam's smile grew more pronounced.

"Wanna go again?" he asked. Mercedes looked up and down the hall. Regardless of the fact that school was over hours ago, Mr. Schue, Jesse, and Rachel were still here, for sure.

Sam seemed to understand what she was thinking. He pushed himself off of the floor and bent down to gather her books. Then he turned to her and reached out a hand, just as he did at prom.

"We'll find an empty classroom."

And just as she did at prom, she placed her hand in his and she let him lead the way.


	5. Nobody Has to Know

It was mostly dark in the old motel room. Only a single stream of light had been able to find its way through the thick curtains, which Sam had pulled shut to keep the sunlight out.

The both of them sat on the tattered old couch, faces only inches apart.

His right hand ran along the length of her side, stopping on her thigh. She leaned back, pulling him with her, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He used his other hand to keep himself propped up over her, while she wove her fingers through his hair.

He groaned and deepened the kiss. He loved it when she did that. Loved the feeling of her fingers running through his hair. Loved the look she gave him when she realized how messy she made it. And how she would try to fix it, which never really helped, because the entire process would just repeat itself over and over again.

Because of this, he had changed his mind. Maybe he won't cut his hair. Mercedes seemed to like it just fine the way it was.

He smiled at her and she smiled back, a look of excitement flashing in her eyes.

Sam took that as his cue to keep going, but then she tugged on a lock of his hair, hard. His hand flew from her leg to the back of his head.

"Hey!" he said, rubbing the affected spot.

"Sorry." Mercedes bit her lip, but then erupted into a fit of laughter. Sam narrowed his eyes at her and she covered her mouth to try to stop herself. That didn't work though, because her shoulders were still shaking.

"You did that on purpose."

"Of course I didn't."

"You did."

She didn't answer, she just kept laughing.

"You think it's funny."

"I don't." Though she was clearly giving herself away.

"Yes you do. You're _laughing._" An evil grin spread across Sam's face. "Ok, you want to laugh? I'll make you laugh."

Mercedes raised a curious eyebrow, but thought nothing of his words. It wasn't until he moved a hand to her side and began tickling her that she started screaming.

"No!" she shouted, writhing under him. But it was no use. He had her pinned on the couch. She couldn't get out from under him, no matter how hard she tried.

His fingers had found their way under the hem of her shirt, causing her to shriek both in surprise and laughter. He tickled the first bit of bare skin he touched.

"Ok! Ok! I'm sorry! I did it on purpose!" she said after a good few seconds of torture.

"Nope. That's not all."

"What the hell, Sam!" she giggled as he poked harder at her. She tried to push his hands away, but they didn't budge. Damn, he was strong.

"That's not all!" he repeated, laughing as well.

"Oh my god," another fit of giggles from Mercedes. "Ok! I'm sorry…I'm sorry I laughed at you!" She knew that was what he wanted to hear. She just didn't want to say it.

His fingers stopped moving and he stared down at her, evil grin still in place.

"Are you satisfied?" Mercedes asked, breathing heavy. He shook his head, his hair flopping from left to right.

"Not completely."

His hand, she realized, was still under her shirt. Slowly, he moved it further up, sending out bursts of heat on her skin wherever his fingers touched.

Mercedes' breathing hadn't slowed. In fact, it suddenly picked up speed and she closed her eyes.

"Sam…" she whispered, her voice suddenly shaky. His fingers had moved under her shirt to grab the clasp of her bra. Unconsciously, she arched her back away from the couch, making room for his hand under her.

As he fumbled with the clasp, he moved in to kiss her, crushing his lips to hers.

With a rush of excitement, and not to be outdone, Mercedes reached down to the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it up halfway. She ran her fingers along the length of his abdomen and his chest, reveling over the toned hills and smooth skin that stretched across his body.

He broke the kiss and rested his head next to hers, his mouth right by her ear. She could hear his breathing, quick and shallow, and quite in sync with her own.

"Hmm…" he smiled and turned his face into her neck. "That feels nice, Cedes."

"You like that?" she whispered. All she did was touch his stomach. Was that all it took to turn him on?

She got her answer in the next second though, as he had ground his hips into hers.

"Oh!" Mercedes gasped, taken off guard. Sam pressed his lips to her neck, trailing hot kisses on her skin. She felt her chest rise and fall with his and yanked harder at his shirt, wanting to pull it all the way off.

"You…" Sam said in between kisses. "Taste…_so_ good."

Mercedes tried to speak, but she couldn't find her voice. All she managed was a low, "Mmm…"

Sam's fingers were still busy at work on her bra. She didn't understand what was so hard about unhooking the two pieces, and she was about to reach around and help him, when he caught her arm.

"What-"

"Shh." He said, putting a finger up to his lips.

She tried to listen for whatever had caught his attention. For a few seconds, she thought he was just being paranoid. But then she heard it: the sound of two, small voices traveling through the door into the motel's one room.

"See, Stevie, I _told _you that the vanilla one tastes better."

"It does not! I still think the chocolate one is better."

"Dammit." Sam said under his breath. He pushed himself off of Mercedes and moved as far away from her as possible on the tiny couch. He pulled his shirt down, grabbed a cushion to cover his lap, and tried his best to make his hair fall flat.

Mercedes sat up quickly and fixed her shirt as well. Thankfully, Sam hadn't been successful with the clasp so everything was perfectly in place. She glanced at him and forced back another laugh as he was frantically trying to tame his hair, with no such luck.

There was the sound of keys, followed by the clicking sound of the door unlocking, and then it was pushed open.

In the doorway stood Sam's mother, flanked by Stacey and Stevie. Stacey was the first to speak.

"Hi!" she said brightly, walking up to Mercedes.

"Hi." Mercedes said with a small smile. Her breathing still hadn't fully relaxed yet. She didn't want to make any sudden movements that would give the both of them away.

"Hey! I think I remember you." Stacey wagged a finger at Mercedes then placed it on her lip.

"She was in the glee club at school with Sammy." Stevie said quietly. He was still standing next to his mother at the door. "Wasn't she?" Stevie looked over at his older brother, who seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Uh-yeah. She was. Um, mom. Stevie, Stacy. This is Mercedes. Mercedes, this is my mom. And you know Stacey and Stevie."

Mercedes nodded. "Hello. Nice to meet you."

"It's a pleasure." Sam's mother answered. She looked around the room. "Why is it so dark in here?"

Still holding the pillow against him, Sam rushed to open the curtains. Stevie ran to turn on the little TV they had perched in the corner, and both he and Stacey jumped onto one of the beds, all their attention already sucked up by whatever was on.

It was the first time Mercedes really got a look at Mrs. Evans, the only other time being when she had brought Sam home from prom. Her eyes were big and kind, the same delicate shade of blue that graced Sam's eyes. Her blond hair hung limply from a loose ponytail, with a few strands that fell to frame her face. She had a serious, but welcoming expression, and she looked tired as she stared at Mercedes.

"Uh, Mercedes is going to help babysit tonight."

Mrs. Evans started. It was like she had forgotten that Sam was still in the room, because when she looked over at him she had to blink a few times.

"Oh?" she asked, finally stepping inside and closing the door behind her. She was carrying two grocery bags and quickly made her way to the tiny kitchenette area with them. "Where is Quinn?" She pulled out a few vegetables and placed them in the sink, running them under the water from the faucet.

Sam glanced at Mercedes, and shrugged, even though his mother wasn't looking at him. "I'm not sure. Probably home?"

"Oh. Ok."

"Everything ok, mom?" Sam asked. He started to walk towards her, but she shot him a smile and waved a hand in his direction.

"Yes. Of course, everything's fine. I'm just going to make a quick dinner and then I have to leave because I have a job interview to get to."

"You do? For what?"

"It's nothing serious. But it's something."

"Oh, well you don't have to make dinner. Mercedes and I can do it."

Mercedes shot Sam a look, but didn't say anything. He grinned, obviously knowing she was glaring at him.

Mrs. Evans looked up at her son for few seconds, but seemed to shake off whatever she was thinking just as quickly.

"Ok. That's fine." She walked from the sink back towards the front door, where she had dropped her purse, and picked it up. "There's macaroni and cheese if you want to make that. And some vegetables I just bought." She stopped rummaging in her bag to look up at Mercedes. "You know dear, you don't have to stay the entire time I'm gone. I'm sure Sam can look after the kids on his own."

Mercedes frowned a little, but fought it off with a smile.

"No, it's fine, really. I don't have anything else to do tonight. I don't mind helping out."

Mrs. Evans nodded. "Ok. Well, I'll see you later kids. Be good." After a final look at Sam, she waved goodbye to Stacey and Stevie, who were too focused on their show to really give her a proper goodbye, and left.

Sam bit his lip. "_Well_. That wasn't awkward at all." he sat back down on the couch.

"Oh my god." Mercedes said, burying her face in her hands. "If she had caught us-"

Sam laughed. It was a nervous sound. "I could only imagine her face." He threw his head back and covered his eyes with his arm.

Mercedes glared at him from the corner of her eye. She noticed that the cushion he had grabbed when she came in still lay flat on his lap.

"What's with you and the pillow?" She made a move to grab it, but he scooted away from her hand, still trying to keep the thing in place. Mercedes raised an eyebrow.

Sam turned a fierce shade of red and looked over at his brother and sister who were not more than a few feet away from them. He grit his teeth and said under his breath, "Now isn't really such a good time to talk about this." He jerked his head in the direction of Stacey and Stevie, hoping Mercedes got the picture.

She got the picture, all right.

"Are you serious?" she asked him, laughing.

"Well, what do you expect?" he tone was defensive now. "It's not my fault you're…"

"What?"

"Nothing."

"What is it, Sammy?" she asked. She leaned over to him and he smiled, but tried his best to ignore her taunting.

"Nothing." He repeated.

"Oh, you can tell me."

"Not in front of the children!"

She moved away from him with a startled look on her face. "Oh my god. I forgot about the _children_."

"Jeez, Mercedes. Have some self respect." He gave her a sly grin.

"Says the boy crushing the pillow to his lap."

"Shhh!" he jumped over to her and clamped his hand over her mouth and glanced nervously over to the beds.

"_Please_, those two couldn't care less about what we're talking about right now. They're too focused on the TV."

"Yeah, that's what you think. It's what they _want_ you to think. But they're probably soaking up every word we're saying, just waiting for the right moment to spill all of their information. Like at the dinner table, when Mom and Dad are listening to their every word. They're like personal little spy robots for my parents."

Mercedes laughed and shook her head. "You think too much."

"You have no idea."

* * *

><p>Mercedes and Sam had started fixing up dinner for Stacey and Stevie not too long after Sam's mother had left. When Stacey heard the two of them clanking pots and bowls in the kitchen, she rushed over to help. Stevie lingered on the side, watching Mercedes carefully out of the corner of his eye. It seemed that it would take a lot more for him to warm up to her than it did for Stacey.<p>

But she didn't have to worry too much. Because soon Sam called him over and asked for his help as well. Stevie smiled shyly and walked over to his brother to help with the cheese.

Stacey stood on the tips of her toes, watching Mercedes stir the macaroni as it cooked. She babbled on about simple things that happened in her little 4th grade class, like how she had been the line leader for the week and how she had taken charge in her group for a project they were supposed to be doing. She was easy to get along with. Sweet and adorable, and after a while, Mercedes found herself seriously interested in what the little girl had to say.

She kept looking over at the boys, though. Stevie's face was fixated on everything Sam did. He was so focused, so driven on the little tasks he was assigned, that Mercedes couldn't help but see a lot of Sam in him. Sam might have realized it, or he might not, but a lot of his actions had a big impact on Stevie, and it showed. If Stevie did something, and Sam praised him for it, either with a "good job" or a simple hi-five, his little face would light up so much that it'd probably even warm Sue Sylvester's heart, she was sure.

It hadn't taken them long to get the table set and everything cleaned up. Both Sam and Mercedes sat at the table with the kids as they had their meals. Stacey took center stage and started the conversation, but Stevie soon joined in as well. He was animated, talking with his hands, giggling and laughing. Mercedes laughed along with him, letting him know that she was listening to his every word.

After dinner and after they both took their baths, they changed into their pajamas, and Mercedes helped Sam put them to bed.

He had just pulled the covers up over Stacey, but before he could turn away from her, her little voice called out for him.

"Sammy?" she asked, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Hmm?"

She beckoned him close with a finger and he leaned down next to her. She propped herself up on her elbows and whispered in his ear. On the other side of the bed, Mercedes moved away from an already sleeping Stevie, grabbing her jacket from a rack and her bag from the floor.

"Where's Quinn?"

Sam was startled at the question, but Stacey didn't seem to notice. Mercedes' heart sank.

"She's home tonight." He paused for a second. "Why?"

"Just wanted to know." She nodded and lay back down. Pulling the sheets back over herself, she asked, "Can Mercedes come back another day?"

Sam looked down at her. Her face was honest and real, and he couldn't help but smile.

"Of course. She'll be back again. Don't worry." And he bent down to kiss her goodnight.

Mercedes stood by the door, trying to hold back a huge smile. Sam walked over to the light switch and turned it off, and opened the front door for Mercedes.

They stepped outside together and Sam shut the door quietly behind them. They stood side by side for a few seconds, just staring at the passing cars on the highway.

"She really likes you, you know. Stacey."

"I know."

"Stevie does too. He was just a little shy at first, but he's fine now."

Mercedes nodded.

"What about your mom? Does she like me?" Sam didn't answer at first. He was lost in thought. He looked up at the sky, at the few bright stars that glittered overhead.

"She would. Just…give her some time. She was like this with Quinn too. You know, _fidgety_. Please, don't take it personal."

Mercedes nodded again. If Mrs. Evans needed time to get to know her, she would have to give her that. After all, look at Stevie. He ended up being just fine.

Still, there was one more question on her mind.

"And how does _Sam_ feel about me?"

She felt her cheeks grow hot and she refused to look at him. Sure they had been together for several days so far, but it was a new relationship. They were bound to have their awkward moments.

She could tell he was looking at her, and he moved closer to her in the darkness.

"Sam likes you very much. A little too much, actually."

Mercedes laughed.

"Does he?" She saw him nod slowly, and he leaned over to plant a kiss on her cheek.

"I like Sam too."

"Mmm," he kissed her again. "Thank you for helping me tonight."

She looked at him then. His hair was covering the top of his eyes like usual, so she had to brush them away to look into them.

"It was fun. I had a good time."

"I'm glad." He wrapped and arm around her waist and pulled her close. "You know, we're leaving for New York in a few days."

Mercedes rested her head back on his chest, her mind suddenly racing. Over the past few days, what with Jesse being back and with Sue's sister's funeral, and also with just spending time with Sam, she had completely forgotten that they would be leaving for Nationals soon.

"When do you want to break the news to everyone?" he asked the question as if the answer should have been easy. And maybe it should have been. She had gotten close to everyone in the New Directions over the past year, so why was it so hard for her to want to talk to them about something as important as a relationship?

Her thoughts flitted back to prom night and the original reason why she didn't want to tell Kurt. Relationships ended just as soon as they started in this glee club. And seeing as Sam was the first guy she's ever really been serious about, she was going to take every step to preserve their relationship.

"I don't think we should. Not yet, anyway. At least, let's wait until Nationals are over. When everyone is celebrating our definite win, we'll tell them."

He nodded silently above her and didn't answer for a long time.

She knew every part of him was probably itching to tell the world, because that's just the kind of person Sam was. She saw that when he was with Quinn and even for the short time that he was with Santana. When he was in a relationship, he wanted to make it known. Not for the fact that he wanted attention, just because he was always happy with the girl he was with and he wanted _everyone_ to know that.

"Whenever you're ready." was all he said.

A small voice in Mercedes' head caught her off guard and grabbed her attention.

_This one…this one is real. Remember that. Don't let _anyone_ ruin it._

She held on to that thought and promised that she wouldn't let it go.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh my god, I feel like I haven't updated in forever! <strong>_**So**_** sorry this took so long. I had a really busy week and it was keeping me from writing! But I think you all will be ok with the reason I was so busy? It was because of Glee Live! :D **

**I was able to go to both of their shows in New Jersey on June 16****th**** and 17****th**** and let me tell you, it was AMAZING. The cast was just…ugh, there really are no words. The show was just perfect. I loved every minute of it. I don't think it'll be something I'll ever forget.**

**But anyway, I really do hope that you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it ;) I hope you know that I couldn't let the two of them get too far just yet. You'll have to keep reading if you want to see anything happen! :)**

**Thank you so much for waiting patiently. I'll try to get the next update posted soon! 3  
><strong>


	6. Whenever You're Ready

"It's unreal to think that in just a few days, I, Rachel Berry, will be walking the same streets the most talented people in show business walked." Rachel's eyes glistened. She and Mercedes were at the Lima Bean, sipping on cups of steaming coffee. "I will be breathing the same air." She breathed in dramatically and stared at her friend. "Mercedes. Do you not understand how amazing this entire experience is going to be?"

"Of course I do." Mercedes said, rolling her eyes and laughing. "But I don't think _any_ of us can be nearly excited as you, Rachel."

"No, I think Kurt is just as excited as I am." She sighed. "Sometimes I think that he's the only one who truly understands how much this means to me."

"I guess that some of us are a lot more nervous than you two." Mercedes told her. Rachel gave her a look.

"That is not possible. No one should be nervous, not at this point. We are going to win this thing, you'll see."

Mercedes didn't say another word. To be honest, she was more concerned about breaking the news to the group about her new relationship with Sam than she was about Nationals. She had a gut feeling that the New Directions were going to do just fine in that department. They had come too far to have to face any kind of disappointment.

Rachel began humming show tunes under her breath and tapping her fingers against the table, suddenly oblivious to anything outside of her Broadway world.

Watching Rachel, Mercedes' mind began to wander. Back to when the Broadway diva had to hide her relationship with Jesse St. James from the rest of the club. There was so much conflict between the New Directions and Vocal Adrenaline at the time, and Rachel knew how they would react if they found out. She had no other choice to keep it a secret.

Of course, Mercedes did remember that she probably played a part in causing Rachel to lie, going along with the others in demanding that Rachel break up with Jesse. Now, however, she felt sympathetic to Rachel's situation. Was keeping Sam a secret from the rest of the club any different than what Rachel did? Aside from the fact that Sam isn't part of their rival club, of course. But Rachel did what she did for love. Didn't she? So who's to say that she didn't follow her heart? And if she did, was it anyone's place to judge her?

Rachel was still babbling on about New York. The shows, the atmosphere, the nightlife. Mercedes couldn't understand how Rachel's brain was able to process everything she was trying to say. Word after word came out of her mouth, without much pause in between.

"Rachel?" she asked, before she could stop herself. Rachel stopped mid-sentence and blinked.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?"

Rachel smiled kindly and reached across the table to pat Mercedes' hand.

"Of course, Mercedes. I was waiting for this. I would be _honored_ to give you some vocal tips." Rachel sat up straight in her seat. "Now, from your solos, I've noticed that you-"

"What? No. I don't. Need. Vocal tips." Mercedes ground her teeth.

"Honestly, I think-"

"_Rachel_."

"Right. Sorry. Too much." She pulled her hand back and cleared her throat. "Go ahead."

"Remember last year, when you were dating Jesse, but you had to keep quiet about it because you knew that each one of us would take turns strangling you if we found out you were still with him?"

Rachel stared at her. "You wanted to strangle me?"

Mercedes sighed. "Really, you couldn't blame me last year. In fact, we were _all_ worried about being cheated out of a win at regionals. We wanted what was best for the team, we told you that." Mercedes took a sip of her coffee as Rachel looked down at her hands. "But that's not what I was trying to get at, exactly."

Rachel didn't say anything. She just looked at Mercedes with a confused expression, tilting her head to the side.

"I don't understand."

Mercedes thought for a moment. She knew she was walking on a fine line and that anything she said could basically reveal exactly what she was trying to hide. But she needed the advice, so she took a deep breath.

"Why did you do it? I mean, it was your life, right? Why did you care so much that we were going to be upset with you? Wouldn't you have wanted your friends to know about your relationship? Wasn't it hard hiding it from them- I mean, _us_?"

She didn't answer right away. She took a few more sips of her coffee and Mercedes did the same, grateful for something to do while she waited in silence.

"Well, you said it yourself, didn't you?" Rachel finally went on. "Everyone was so worried about losing and Jesse being a spy, I just couldn't hurt you all like that. And I knew there wasn't any way I could face being in the club if everyone was upset with me over that. I had no other choice."

That's not exactly the answer she was looking for either. But then again, she shouldn't be surprised. Despite everything, Rachel's situation _was _different than her own. Mercedes didn't have to worry about Sam leaking their set list to anyone or stealing their ideas, thankfully. He was just Sam, and she was just Mercedes. Nothing more, nothing less.

"But honestly, if I had the chance, I think I would do it again."

Rachel wasn't looking at her. She was holding the coffee cup with both her hands, lost in thought.

"You would?"

"I would." Rachel nodded. "I love everyone in the glee club, but it was nice to have some privacy for a while. Even though I know very well that I'm probably the one who invades the most, but still." She smiled up at Mercedes. "Why did you ask though?"

Mercedes cleared her throat and picked up her cup, gulping down a large amount of the hot liquid. She coughed frantically, as the coffee scalded her throat, and waved a hand.

"No reason. Just curious. That's all."

Rachel narrowed her eyes.

"Are you sure? You can tell me-"

"It's nothing. And yes. I'm one hundred percent sure." She paused. "So…have any plans for when you get to New York?"

Rachel beamed and dropped the subject at once, launching into a conversation listing all of the current Broadway shows she was dying to get tickets to. Mercedes smiled and nodded, pretending to be interested in it all.

Maybe she didn't have to feel bad about keeping the relationship a secret. It was a harmless pairing, even she knew that. They didn't have any evil secrets to hide from the glee club. They were just two teenagers that were crazy into each other and didn't want to go public yet. No big deal, right? And even Rachel said she would do it again, if she was given the chance.

Sam's words echoed in her mind, "_Whenever you're ready_" he had told her. He didn't mind waiting, if she wanted to.

She really was making a big deal out of nothing.

* * *

><p>"Jacket. Hat. Sneakers. Camera. Phone…okay. I think I've got everything…"<p>

Mercedes stood in the middle of her bedroom, looking from the closet to the dresser to the large open suitcase that sat on her bed. She chewed on her lip, thinking hard.

Today was the day. In just a few hours, she and the rest of the glee club would be on a plane to New York, where Nationals were being held.

There was a knock on her door, but before she could answer, Marcus poked his head in.

"I didn't say you could come in, you know." She threw a pillow across the room at him, but he ducked before it could hit him in the face.

"If you didn't want me to open the door, you would've locked it."

"This is_ my _room. And I never lock my door. Mom and dad always knock before coming in."

"Well, I'm not mom and dad."

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "You know, I would have thought you'd learn some manners up at college."

"Thought wrong, didn't you?"

"Jerk."

Marcus laughed and dropped onto Mercedes' bed, grabbing her camera out of her suitcase. "Anyway, there's someone downstairs for you."

"Who is it?" She picked up a pair of jeans and tossed it into the suitcase.

"No clue." He toyed with the camera in his hands, turning it on and off, zooming in randomly. "Some white boy with big lips."

Mercedes froze over her suitcase, her eyes wide.

_What?_

Marcus apparently didn't notice the sudden change in her expression. He gave up playing with the camera and tossed it back into the suitcase. But when he realized that Mercedes made no move to leave the room, he narrowed his eyes and folded his arms. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Want me to tell him to leave?"

"No!" she turned to face him and realized she had answered a little too quickly. Marcus dropped his arms to his sides and eyed his little sister.

"Well, okay then. He's waiting for you. With a suitcase."

Her mind was racing. What was Sam doing here? They were supposed to meet at the school. Not here. She specifically remembered asking him not to meet her here_._

Was this his idea of a surprise or something?

Marcus got up and started walking over to the door, leaving a confused Mercedes standing frozen by her bed. "Are you coming or not?" he asked, waving a hand in front of her face. She blinked a few times and nodded.

Taking a deep breath, she followed Marcus downstairs, careful not to give too much of herself away. She didn't know what to think. She was fuming at the fact that Sam had suddenly decided to go and change the plan, but at the same time she was dying to see him. There was a part of her that didn't think she could last another few hours before they had to be at school. Maybe he had felt the same and just couldn't stay away from her any longer?

_Yeah, way to live in a fairytale, Mercedes. _She thought.

Marcus left her to her business and headed to the kitchen. She heard the fridge open and then the sound of a soda can being opened. Quickly, before he could come back into the hallway, she opened the door to find Sam sitting on the very bottom step.

A small suitcase was pulled up next to him. He was wearing his letterman jacket, as he always did, its bright colors fading. He turned to look up at her when the door shut behind her and a smile spread across his face.

Despite her frustration at him for showing up at her house, she couldn't help but melt at the sight of him.

"You look…comfy." He said, his eyes grazing her body from head to toe and back up again.

A rush of heat made its way up Mercedes' cheeks, as she forgot that she was still in her pajamas. She wrapped her arms around herself quickly.

"Well, I didn't know you were going to show up _here. _If I did, I would have changed." She shook her head. "But anyway, Sam didn't we agree to meet at the school?" She was speaking in hushed tones, but she didn't know why. It's not like anyone would hear her from outside.

Sam looked confused, which was infuriatingly adorable. "First of all, even if I knew you would have changed, I still wouldn't have told you I was coming. You look beautiful, especially in these sweats." He stood up. "And second, what's wrong with meeting here? We're going to the same place, so I figured it wouldn't matter."

"My parents are home. And so is my brother."

"I just met your brother." He shrugged, looking up at the house. "He seems pretty cool."

"Yeah, but you didn't meet him as-"

"As what? Your boyfriend?"

Mercedes didn't answer. They had yet to actually put a label on their relationship and to hear him say the word out loud made her heart flutter in excitement.

But she decided not to make a scene about it and just be honest. She nodded.

"Well, then let's tell them right now." He reached past her to put his hand on the doorknob, but Mercedes grabbed his arm.

He stared at her, his blue eyes wide and concerned.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm…" she thought for a moment, hoping with everything that he didn't take this the wrong way. "I'm not ready. I don't think _we're _ready."

Sam didn't seem to understand. He just stood, practically towering over her, his expression hurt.

Mercedes let go of his arm and slipped her hand into his.

"I don't want my parents to be a part of this. I don't want their opinions. And I certainly don't want to hear my brother's opinions."

"You don't want them to know about us." It wasn't a question. It seemed to her that he was just restating what she said, maybe to make more sense of it to himself.

"I just think that we should keep this private for a while."

Sam nodded slowly.

"I knew that you didn't want the glee club to know. I got that when you told me you wanted to wait until after Nationals." He sighed and turned to sit back down on the step. "I mean, yeah. Once everyone in there finds out about a relationship…" he threw his hands into the air and made an explosion sound, which made Mercedes laugh.

"You got that right."

He looked up at her then, with another sad expression.

"But I didn't think you'd want to hide us from your family. Are you embarrassed of me?"

She hadn't expected him to think that way. She started shaking her head before the entire question was even out of his mouth.

"No. No, Sam of course not." She hurried over and sat down next to him. It broke her heart to know that she had offended him, and all of a sudden she felt that if her parents had caught them in a full on make out session right at this moment, she wouldn't give a damn. "It's just…have you told _your _parents yet?"

Sam shook his head, not looking at her. "My parents get all crazy when they find out I like a girl. I just didn't want them to ruin this before anything between us even started." He glanced over at her. "But I'll tell them."

Mercedes was silent. She could feel Sam's eyes on her face. He was watching her intently, curiously.

"So we're not telling your parents." He leaned back on his hands, looking up at the sky. It was a clear, sunny day, with hardly any clouds. Perfect weather for travel. "I can still kiss you, though. Right?"

Mercedes laughed. "Of course."

"Good. Because I really don't think I'll be ready to stop with that anytime soon."

"Good." Mercedes answered, poking a finger at him. "Because I really, _really_ wouldn't want you to."

That, at least, got a smile out of him.

* * *

><p>Sam left after a hasty goodbye and promises that he would take her on <em>the <em>most awesome, incredible, romantic adventure _ever_ in the history of secret dates once they got to New York, which were his exact words. Mercedes had no idea how or if that would even happen, but it was sweet of him to say. Still, she couldn't help her mind from wandering, picturing the both of them having a walk through the beautiful Central Park or even just snuggling up in a random little café somewhere.

She had only just stepped inside when her mother appeared in the hallway, drying her hands on a dish towel.

"Who was that?" her mother asked.

"Oh, uh- just a friend. Part of glee club. You know."

"Oh, why didn't you invite her in?"

"It wasn't a 'she', mom!" Marcus' voice rang through the house, sounding louder than Mercedes thought possible. She made a mental note to strangle him before she left.

"Oh. Was it Kurt then? Mercedes you should know better. We love Kurt and you know he's always welcome here." Her mom shook her head.

Marcus stuck his head out of the living room doorway. "It wasn't Kurt, either."

"Where did you _come _from? And how would _you_ even know?" Mercedes asked, her hands on her hips. "You've never even met Kurt."

"I didn't have to." He laughed. "Blondie told me his name. Sam, was it?"

Her mother looked confused. "I've never met a Sam."

Mercedes groaned and covered her eyes. _This cannot be happening. _She thought. So much for keeping him a secret.

"Of course you haven't, mom. I haven't actually introduced you to everyone in glee club."

"Well, why not? You know I always love meeting the people you spend so much time with."

"She's ashamed of us."

"Shut _up_, Marcus." She pinched the bridge of her nose. She definitely felt a headache coming on.

"She doesn't want us meeting all of her white friends."

"Marcus! Don't you have somewhere to be right now?" she yelled. Marcus only smiled evilly and shook his head.

"Nope. I'll be right here. _All_ summer." With a final grin, he stepped back into the living room.

"UGH!" Mercedes yelled, much to the surprise of her mother, and marched up the stairs to finish packing. She was going to have to see her brother's face for the entire summer.

This trip to New York could not have been scheduled at a better time.

* * *

><p><strong>Another update that took forever. Sorry! I need to get my act together. This is what I get for getting a summer job! haha<strong>

**ANYWAY, this was a tricky chapter to write because I had to find a way to bridge together what could have happened after the end of the "Funeral" episode and the beginning of the finale, seeing as the finale started off with the gang already in New York. But all the Samcedes loving will be _much more_ prominent in the next chapter, I promise :) Also, **_**I had to set up a few things in this chapter that will, in a way, relate to things to come**_**, so I hope you paid attention!**

**But once again, thank you for your time spent reading and reviewing this. Seeing your reviews always brightens my day and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. **_**Love you all!**_


	7. No Regrets

"Ok, so here we go. Artie."

"Right here."

"Rachel."

"I'm here!"

"Unfortunately." An annoyed looking Santana said to no one in particular.

"Mike. Tina. Sam."

"All here, Mr. Schue." The three of them answered.

Mr. Schue was going down the list of his students, calling out each name to make sure they weren't about to forget anyone.

"Finn."

"Yep."

"Kurt."

No answer.

"Kurt?" Mr. Schue looked up from the sheet, searching for the Hummel boy's face.

"Where-"

"Wait! I'm-I'm here!" A rosy faced Kurt was running over to where they stood in the parking lot, tugging a heavy looking suitcase behind him. As he pulled up next to Rachel, he doubled over to catch his breath.

"I...I was just saying goodbye to Blaine."

"Your face is pink. Did you guys have goodbye sex?" Brittany asked. Kurt turned a brighter shade of red and it seemed like his eyes had bulged slightly as he looked up to glare at her.

"Ok!" Mr. Schue interrupted whatever response Kurt was about to shoot at Brittany. He finished up the names and continued. "Perfect, looks like that's everyone. I think we are good to go." He clapped his hands together and looked at the kids. "So tell me...who's ready for NEW YORK?"

Instantly, they erupted with shouts of cheer. Excitement was apparent in their little group, and why wouldn't it be? It was their very first time getting out of Lima and they were more excited than a horny Jacob Ben Israel at their Britney Spears Tribute a few months back.

Brittany reached over and hugged Santana. Mike high-fived Puck. Rachel jumped up and down on the spot, clapping her hands.

Mercedes glanced over at Sam. He was looking at her too, a half-smile on his face. She was resisting the urge to run over and hug him. Well, at least until Finn clapped a hand on his shoulder. His gaze snapped away from hers as he turned to Finn and laughed, and she turned to chatter excitedly with Tina. It was already getting hard to keep from looking at him too much and they weren't even in New York yet.

"Alright." Mr. Schue called, grabbing his own bag. Everyone on the bus!"

* * *

><p>It was about half hour drive to the Lima County airport, though without traffic. As Mr. Schue went to check in their tickets, the kids wandered around, stopping to stare out the big glass windows at the airplanes on the runway. Looking at all thirteen of them, all bright eyed and amazed, you would probably question whether or not they were in high school, but they didn't care. They were finally leaving this small, dead end town and nothing else mattered more to them.<p>

Sam looked up at one of the boards that listed flight times. He was scanning the names of cities and times for their own flight, but his eyes caught on something else. There was a 4:00 flight to Tennessee.

It was hard to believe that at this time last year, he was probably sitting at home in his room, a video game control in hand and a headset on his head, with Avatar and super hero posters adorning his walls. This time last year, he was attending an all boys school. This year, however, he was in Ohio, living in a motel with his family, and part of a glee club that was on their way to Nationals in New York City. This year, he had fallen for a girl that was so much more different than any other girl he had ever been introduced to.

Sure, losing your home and having to sell your belongings would be enough to make you regret ever moving in the first place, but Sam didn't regret this move for the world. He had gained so much more just being a part of this group that he couldn't even picture his life anymore without the New Directions or the rest of McKinley High School. They were his support system, whether they knew it or not. And being able to sing with them was a big plus.

And even if he had to go through one or two rough relationships to find her, being with Mercedes _now_? He wouldn't deny that it made his parents' decision to pack up and leave their old life behind all the more worth it.

"All right. Everyone?" Mr. Schue called, walking over to them. He was carrying a stack of what Sam understood were their boarding passes and he waved them in the air. "I have our passes right here, but our flight doesn't leave for about another forty-five minutes. I guess you're free to do whatever you like, but we're meeting up _right here _in forty-five. Don't forget." They all nodded. Mr. Schue sank into one of the hard plastic couches and pulled out a notebook. It didn't take him long to be completely immersed in whatever he was working on.

Puck and Lauren headed off in the direction of the gift shop, while Tina dragged Mike back towards the big windows overlooking the runway. Quinn stalked off to the bathroom. Finn sat a little ways away from Mr. Schue, and was trying and failing to keep his own eyes away from a bouncy Rachel, who was moving towards the coffee bar with Kurt and Mercedes.

Sam stood, still under the flight board, watching them. He was suddenly debating walking over to sit with Finn, to ignore his urge to head over to the coffee shop with Mercedes.

It was funny, Sam thought. They could become best friends, him and Finn. Both of them sitting there staring hungrily at the girls they were crazy about, but weren't allowed to and couldn't show it for whatever reason.

That was until Mercedes turned around and flashed him one of her famous smiles. Sam blinked and immediately, she waved at him. Confused, he looked around, to see if it was indeed him she was waving at. When he saw that no one important was standing anywhere near him, he pointed to himself.

"Me?" he mouthed.

He could tell that Mercedes had rolled her eyes at that. But she laughed it off and nodded, and put out a hand to gesture him over. Rachel turned as well, and when Sam caught her eye she smiled too and called him over.

With a sorry glance back at Finn, who looked lost without Rachel sitting next to him, he walked over to the three of them.

"What were you doing, standing over there all by yourself?" Mercedes asked. She looped an arm through his.

He stared down at her, in disbelief. He had thought she wanted to keep them a secret. Did arm looping count as something people only in relationships do?

"Uh...I'm not sure."

Rachel pushed through to his free arm, and pulled Kurt to her other side.

_Well, that answers my question._ Sam thought.

"You were just too dazzled by the prospect of us finally being in one of the world's greatest cities, weren't you Sam?" Rachel asked, beaming. She didn't wait for him to answer. Instead, she continued. "Don't worry. I know. I understand completely."

"Yeah. That's it." He said, with a smile and a quick glance at Mercedes. "I was definitely dazzled by New York."

* * *

><p>"Oh, <em>god.<em>" Kurt shook his head as he swallowed his coffee. His face twisted into a grimace. "That tastes horrible. Just..." he shook his head again and pushed the cup away from him. "Blech."

"It's not _that _bad." Mercedes laughed.

"You are kidding me. You have obviously burned your taste buds off on this terrible excuse for a beverage."

"Ok, Sam, it's your turn!" Rachel fixed herself in her seat and pointed at Sam. He leaned back in his own chair, searching his mind.

"Hm..." he said.

"Come on, most embarrassing thing a family member has done to you that almost made you cry." Mercedes urged.

"Well..." he thought for a minute.

"And it has to be the truth." Kurt added.

"Right." Sam said. "Well, ok." He leaned forward and launched into his story. "There was one time, when I was back in Tennessee, we had a whole lot of family over for some kind of party. It was probably either a birthday or holiday thing, I don't really remember. But anyway, my mom brought out the most ridiculous baby pictures of Stacey, Stevie and I to show to some of my relatives. Well, let's just say that as soon as I saw them, I wanted to get myself as far away as possible."

"So did you?" Rachel asked.

"I couldn't. Because Stacey was watching the pictures with them, and as soon as she saw me in all of my naked baby glory-"

"Wait. In your what?" Rachel choked out, bringing a napkin to her lips.

"Really? 'Naked baby glory?'" Mercedes roared with laughter.

"Hush, you two." Kurt said, though he obviously wanted to laugh as well. He bit his lip to keep the sound from coming out.

"Yeah. That's what I said." Sam answered, but he didn't continue. He waited for them to calm their laughter.

"So what happened?" Rachel asked, drying her eyes. Sam wasn't sure if she had actual tears in them or if she was just doing it for the dramatic effect.

And now he was seriously second guessing his story. Maybe he should have lied and made up something less embarrassing than this, something that didn't actually happen. It was awkward enough having to sit next to Mercedes and fight against the urge to just ogle at her the entire time. To say what he was about to say, that would be pure torture on his part.

"I don't think you guys really need to know." He decided. "It's kind of personal."

"That was the point of this game!" Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on. You can't just leave us hanging after you made us all interested in your naked baby glory." Mercedes joked. He shot a look at her, but she wasn't looking at him. She had picked up her brown, paper cup and sipped at the coffee inside it, her eyes looking forward, a playful grin dancing on her lips.

"Okay then," he said. "You asked for it." He took a deep breath and decided to trudge through the rest of his story. "So, like I was saying. When Stacey saw the picture of me, she stood up, right there in front of _everyone_ and said-"

"Hey, you guys!"

Sam was cut off as Brittany, standing a little ways away with Santana and a pissed off looking Quinn, waved over to the three of them.

"Mr. Schue says it's time to meet up!"

Mercedes gave a thumbs up, indicating that they got her message. Brittany smiled and walked away with Santana, Quinn following behind on her cell phone.

"Ok, so what did Stacey say?"

"Uh, I think Mr. Schue wants us over there. Like now." Sam busied himself with his jacket, making a scene of pulling his arms through the sleeves and standing up. "We wouldn't want to be the ones that make everyone miss the plane." Realizing the truth in this, Rachel stood up as well and gathered her things in a hurry. Kurt walked over to the trash can to dump his full cup into the garbage, a disgusted look on his face and headed out after Rachel. Mercedes, however, looked up at him suspiciously.

"I'm getting that story out of you. I hope you know that."

Sam shoved his hands in his pockets and let out a fake sigh.

"I'm not as easy as you think. It'll be hard to get it out of me."

Mercedes scoffed. "Oh, yeah right. '_Not as easy as you think._'" She suddenly stood up and walked closer to him, so that their bodies were almost touching. She seemed to forget that the coffee area was full of people. Strangers, as the entire glee club was meeting up with Mr. Schuester right now, but people nonetheless.

Quietly she whispered in the direction of his ear, which was difficult considering their height differences. "Boy, I bet with just _one_ kiss I could make you pour all of your secrets out to me, one by one. You won't be able to hold anything back from me." She laughed, swinging her carry-on over her shoulder, and stepped away from him. He watched her carefully as she walked passed a few of the tables and headed out to meet the group.

He let out a breath as soon as she was out of sight. He didn't know what to think. Boy, the curve balls this girl could throw at a guy! Because Mercedes had made it very clear over and over again that she did not want anyone in the glee club to know of their relationship, yet here she was, flirting with him in plain sight. In those few seconds that passed, he tried to grasp it, the reason for her sudden change, but he just couldn't understand what was going on or what her motives were.

Or maybe she didn't have any motives? Maybe this was just how Mercedes was in a relationship?

He had to admit, he liked the thought of that. A flirty, mysterious, unpredictable Mercedes that left him on edge? Yes, _please_.

But did she really think it was going to be _that _easy for her to get the rest of the story out of him? Sam pushed in his chair and hurried after her, setting his mind to decide right then and there that he was going to prove her wrong. Without knowing, Mercedes had started a game that Sam was determined to win. He wasn't going to cave. No matter how many kisses he received. He was sure of it.

Still, it would be hard for her to prove her theory correct when they would be constantly around the rest of the club plus Mr. Schue for the next week or so. They were basically still in hiding, so they would have to get creative and try to sneak away when no one will notice.

Sam smiled to himself, thinking of how Mercedes would set her lips and how the frustration would sound in her voice when she realized that he was _not _spilling his guts. That she was wrong.

"Everyone here?" he heard Mr. Schue call as he grew closer. He tugged on his sweater vest, glancing around at them all to make sure he had a full group. "Ok, here are your passes." He started handing them out. "Our gate is in this direction." He pointed towards a rather large man and woman standing a short distance away.

It seemed as if they were all holding their breath in anticipation.

Seeing as they were the last ones to arrive, they were right in the back of the group. Sam rushed up to Mercedes and laced his fingers quickly through hers. He squeezed them once, and then again. She looked up at him, gave him a wink, and they let go. Sam felt a chill run up the length his arm as soon as they did, and he was sure she felt it too. It was such a sudden and powerful feeling.

The group walked on, following a crowd of people on their way to board the same flight.

It was hard to believe, but the New Directions were on their way. Finally.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! An early (sort of) update! Haha I enjoyed writing this chapter. It was fun :) I hope you enjoyed reading it!<strong>

**Thank you a million times and more for reading and reviewing (I know I say this a lot, but I can't say it enough. You all are literally amazing.) and stay tuned for the next chapter! Maybe soon we'll get to see if Sam eventually caves and spills the rest of his story to Mercedes ;) **


	8. A Promise, Is a Promise

Sam woke with a start on Monday morning, the sun beaming down through the open window blinds onto his face. He propped himself up on his elbows and rubbed his eyes groggily, looking around the room.

It was in chaos. Notebooks and balled up sheets of paper had been tossed everywhere, bags of chips lay scattered randomly around the room. He peered over the edge of the bed to see Mike on the floor with a pillow tucked tenderly under his head. Finn had crashed on the bed opposite Sam, his tall frame causing the tips of his feet to dangle just over the edge. His mouth was wide open, snoring.

All of the guys were still sleeping, thankfully, so he figured that now was his chance.

Slowly, and as quietly as possible so as not to wake them, he made his way over to the suitcase that lay propped up against the wall and grabbed a change of clothes. Then he took a quick shower and slipped out the door.

He made his way down the simply decorated hall, past only a few doors, until he stopped in front of the girls' room.

A sudden thought came to mind. How was he supposed to wake her up? He couldn't just knock, because one of the girls would probably answer and he'd definitely have some explaining to do. And it's not like he could call her. He didn't have a cell phone.

He stood there, going over his options, until he heard the doorknob click.

_Damn it. _He thought. He _wasn't_ about to get caught. Not now, not after they had spent so long trying to keep things a secret.

He considered trying to make a run for it, back down the hall to the boys' room. It wasn't that far away, but still, it wasn't exactly right next door either. Whoever was leaving that room would see him no matter how fast he ran and would no doubt hear and see the door close behind him.

He backed away from the door and glanced up and down the hall, searching for a place to hide. Without another look, he darted around the nearest corner, to where the elevators and ice and snack machines were. He stood back against the wall, trying to look casual.

And then he heard footsteps.

He needed to look like he was doing something, not just randomly standing here. Thinking fast, he grabbed a cup that was sitting in the ice dispenser, and pushed it under the tab. Unfortunately, he had done it so quickly and forcefully that the ice poured out faster than he had expected and it filled the cup with such speed that the rest crashed to the tiled floor, breaking into pieces as it did so.

"Oh…_shit_." He mumbled, panicking. He bent down and tried to pick up the ice blocks that had jumped ship, but they slipped out of his nervous, shaking hands every time.

"Sam?" a voice asked, suddenly.

Sam removed the cup from where it sat on the ice dispenser, and looked up to see Rachel and Kurt. They were both dressed like they were going somewhere special and had confused looks on their faces.

"Uh…_hey_." He said, casually from where he knelt on the floor.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked, staring at the mess surrounding him.

"Um…yeah. Yes. I'm _great_. Just, uh-you know." He pointed to the machine. "Just getting some ice." A nervous chuckle. He brushed hair from his eyes.

"Oh." Rachel said.

"Where are you guys-"

"Nowhere!" Rachel interrupted him immediately. Kurt nudged an elbow at her. "Uh, what I _meant_ was…we were just…just going to take a walk around the hotel." She nodded, content with her answer.

Kurt closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, a sigh escaping his lips.

"I mean it's _such_ a beautiful building. Don't you think? We wanted to make sure to see everything before we leave." Rachel continued.

"We're sneaking out for a few hours to get some breakfast and do some sightseeing." Kurt finally explained. Rachel widened her eyes and turned to stare at him. "What? Sam's not going to say anything. Are you, Sam?"

Sam shook his head.

"See? Nothing to worry about. Now, come on, Miss. Berry. We're late."

"But-but-" Rachel spluttered. Kurt pulled her along, into an elevator, before she could say another word. He managed to wave goodbye to Sam before the doors shut.

_This would only happen to me. _Sam thought as he stood up. He threw the full cup of ice into a nearby garbage can and kicked the ones on the floor under the ice dispenser.

His plan had worked though. Sort of. Most likely, they hadn't suspected a thing. He was merely getting ice. Where was the harm in that, right?

He stuck his hands in his pockets and turned to round the corner, but immediately ended up crashing into someone.

"Ow!" a harsh voice yelled.

He was taller than the person, and his chin had hit against something, hard. Sam fell back a few steps, rubbing his chin. Through squinted eyes, he saw Mercedes, standing in front of him with one hand on her hip and the other on her forehead.

"Damn…" she said.

He rushed over to her. "I'm so sorry!" he exclaimed, his hand hovering near her forehead. "Are you ok? I didn't see you there, Mercy, really. Let me see. Are you bleeding?"

"What?" Mercedes asked, about to laugh. _Since when did he call me 'Mercy'? _"No, I'm not bleeding. I'm fine. But man, that _hurt_." She closed her eyes for a second and tried to walk it off. Her head was spinning.

Sam followed her. "Let me see."

"It's ok." She waved him off.

"No, let me see."

"Sam-"

"Come on, baby."

She stopped and allowed him to get close enough. Sam lifted an arm and gently moved her hand away from her head. He stared down at her for a few seconds. There was no bruise, for which he was thankful, and it definitely wasn't bleeding. He pushed her bangs away and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Better?" he asked.

Mercedes nodded slowly.

"You're a natural."

Sam laughed and dropped his hands. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. "Well, I better be. There are these two little kids at home that are _always _getting into some kind of trouble. They're always getting hurt."

"Good thing they have you to help fix them up."

"Well, there _are_ some things I'm just not able to do for them." He leaned in to kiss her and she smiled. "Like that, for example."

Mercedes laughed. "I would hope not."

Sam turned with a smile and linked his fingers with hers. He walked them to the elevator and punched the 'down' button.

"So guess what. I ran into Rachel and Kurt." He told her. "Well, they sorta ran into _me_, but that's not the point."

"Oh yeah? Where were they going?"

Sam shrugged as the elevator dinged.

"I wasn't exactly paying attention." He admitted. "I was more caught up in what had happened seconds before and I wasn't really thinking straight."

"What happened?" They stepped into the elevator together and Sam directed the elevator to 'Lobby'.

"Uh," he chuckled nervously and pulled her closer. "Nothing important."

* * *

><p>"Come on!" Sam groaned, grabbing for Mercedes. "Why'd you stop?"<p>

"Spill." Mercedes said, darting away from his hands.

"Aw, come on don't do that."

"Nope. I want the story, Evans."

"Mercedes, I can't tell you. It's crazy embarrassing. Just- come on, just come over here-"

"No. I want the rest of that story. Or I'm going to keep leaving you hanging like that, _begging, _until you tell me."

"I _can't."_

"Fine. No more for you then."

"UGH." Sam groaned again and fell back onto the blanket they were sharing. They were in Central Park. After stopping off at a deli to grab a couple things for a quick breakfast, they came right over to bask in the warm sunlight amongst dozens and dozens of other couples. The fact that they had been happily making out just a few seconds ago didn't seem to matter to anyone.

"Are you giving up?" she asked, eyeing him.

He grinned. "Never."

Mercedes rolled her eyes and leaned back to lie next to him.

"You're annoying."

Sam laughed, but decided to change the subject. "So. Do you think that we can actually win this thing?" He looked over at Mercedes. "I mean, this is _it, _you know? This is the big league."

Mercedes sighed and decided to go with it. He wasn't going to say anything, so she had no other choice at the moment.

As for his question, she had to think for a second. Over the past year, everyone in the glee club had been constantly looked down on and told that they would never make it this far, yet here they were, two out of thirteen of them lying on a blanket in the middle of _Central Park_. Two kids from small town Ohio in the big New York City. What were the chances of that even happening?

"I do." She said confidently. "We've come so far. We've worked so hard. We deserve to win."

Sam laughed. "I don't know. I just feel like I've been asking for too much."

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged, looking up at the clouds. "I guess…even after everything that's happened, I feel like I've already gotten the best I could ask for. Like it's kind of unfair that I'm so happy. And it just seems like I'm going even more overboard by expecting us to win."

"You're crazy." Mercedes said, shaking her head. He rolled over on to his side to look down at her.

"Am I though?"

"You are."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because, Sam, I really don't understand why you would think you don't deserve everything you have. You have an amazing family that loves and cares about you. Not to mention that everyone in the glee club feels the same way."

"Yeah, but-"

"Don't _but _me. I'm not finished." He shut up. "Look, you have the right to be happy. Just because of your family's situation, yes it's heartbreaking what you guys had to go through, but that doesn't mean you have _no other choice_ but to be depressed. Be happy that we've gotten this far. Be happy that we're here, together. And be _confident _that we are going to win."

He was silent for a minute, like he always was when she went off on her little speeches. Mercedes didn't mind the silence, though, because it let her know that he was listening and thinking about what she said.

"Can I say something?" he finally asked.

"Yes."

"I understand what you mean. And you're right. I know you are." He sat up and pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. "But I think you need to take some of that advice too."

"What do you-"

"No, my turn." Sam insisted, quickly putting a finger to her lips.

"Fine."

"Back at home. Your parents. Have you told them about us?"

"Well, no but-" she sat up to face him as well, ready to defend herself.

"No _buts_, like you said." He shook his head and didn't give her a second to answer. "We're telling them. Together. As soon as we get back."

"Sam-"

"I'm serious, Mercedes. And then after we tell your parents, we're going to tell mine."

"We can't-"

"_Stop_." He said, and she looked up at him with nervous eyes. She wasn't ready to tell them. She wasn't ready to tell _anyone_, he knew that already. But he had to try. He couldn't keep living like this, with all these secrets. Look at where that got him this morning with Rachel and Kurt. Not a pretty sight.

And he knew that keeping it a secret was killing her too, but she just wouldn't admit it.

"I know." He told her. "I know what's bothering you." Sam moved closer to her and put his hands on either side of her face. "You think they won't accept us. Don't you?"

She was quiet. Her eyes moved away from his. She didn't want to look at him.

"You don't have to say yes, but I understand." His voice was soft and gentle, soothing. "Hey, you _don't_ have to be scared. The Mercedes I know and I'm crazy about wouldn't be scared. She wouldn't give a damn about what anyone thinks, am I right?"

She nodded. It was slow and small, but it was a nod nevertheless.

"Good. And I'll be right there with you. You won't have to do it alone."

Tears had welled up in her eyes and she looked up at him then, a small smile dancing on her lips. Despite the crowds around them, it felt like they were in their own personal bubble. Away from the craziness of the world and the pressure of Nationals. It was just the two of them. Nothing else mattered, at this point.

She had found enough of her voice to come up with a single word. "Promise?"

Sam nodded.

"I promise." He reached over with his thumbs to wipe away the tears that had broke free, and leaned in kiss her first on her forehead, then on both cheeks, and then on her lips.

With a deep breath, Mercedes focused her thoughts on his words and on his face, on his lips and on his voice. He was completely sincere. He wouldn't make her face this alone. Because, if there was no one else in the world you could trust, you could always count on Sam to keep his promises.

She wouldn't be scared. She would bring him home, sit him down in her living room, and introduce him to her family. She would either have to face whatever criticisms or dirty looks they had or she would welcome their praises and blessings. Still, whatever happened, she would be facing it with Sam at her side.

And that was enough for her.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, another chapter already? Haha I'm on a roll! Hope you enjoyed!<strong>

**But really, I decided to submit this chapter a few days earlier than I usually do because of everything that has been going on in the fandom for the past few days. I'm sure everyone (or mostly everyone) has heard about Chord's status for Season 3. I was crazy upset, when I first found out. I couldn't believe it. I still don't want to believe it, actually. A part of me won't give up hope that he will still be a recurring guest star like he was for all of season 2, instead of being entirely cut from the cast.  
><strong>

**But whatever happens, I won't stop writing Samcedes. I've grown to love these two together, and whether or not the writers choose to keep their storyline, they will still be one of my favorite ships. That is something I'm sure will not change :)**


	9. Just a Button and a Zipper

Sam and Mercedes walked hand in hand through Central Park, taking in as much scenery as possible. None of New Directions could believe how much it resembled what they saw countless of times in movies and on TV. They had expected to find something completely different, something a little less amazing than what was always portrayed. But they weren't disappointed.

The trees were just as big and the grass was just as green. Young children ran around frantically, laughing and giggling, while their parents tried to keep up with them. Pets strayed from their owners as said owners stopped to chat with friends. Mercedes smiled as an old couple walked passed them, completely at ease in each others company.

"Seriously, I need to get you to watch this movie." Sam said, shaking his head.

Mercedes rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe they were still having this argument. "I told you. I've seen it already. _Everyone_ has. It's a popular movie, Sam."

"You're lying. I know you are. You just don't want to watch it."

"I am not."

"Tell me how it ends then."

He stopped walking in the middle of the path and turned to face her, folding his arms.

"What are you doing?" she asked, stepping up to him. She grabbed his arm and started to try to pull him forward, but he wouldn't budge.

"Tell me how the movie ends."

"You can't be serious…"

"I am one hundred percent serious." He glared at her. She laughed.

"Serious? You? With those puppy dog eyes and pouty lips?" she took his face in her hands and looked up into his eyes. "Yeah, I don't think so."

He didn't say anything.

"Ugh, Sam, come on. We need to get back to the hotel-"

"Fine. Then I guess you've just admitted that you haven't watched Avatar." He turned out of her grip and walked away from her, in the direction they were originally heading.

"Is this boy serious…" Mercedes mumbled to herself, pinching the bridge of her nose. She ran to catch up with him.

His lips were set in a hard line and he wasn't looking at her, which was infuriating, but at the same time she wanted nothing more than to kiss him right then and there. He was so adorable when he was trying and failing to be completely serious.

Mercedes sighed. "Would it make you happy if I told you that I didn't watch it?"

He pouted. "Maybe."

"Fine. Then I didn't watch it."

He stopped walking abruptly and narrowed his eyes at her. Mercedes frowned, stepping back a little as he leaned in to stare at her.

"Are you sure?"

"Dammit, Sam…I watched like half of the movie and I fell asleep during the rest. There. Happy?"

A grin spread across his face then.

"Yes. Now you get to watch the parts you didn't see with me." He took Mercedes' hand again and led her the rest of the way.

* * *

><p>"All of this for a movie. Is it really all that serious…" Mercedes mumbled in disbelief as she and Sam walked down the hall towards to boys' room. They were back at the hotel and Sam was suddenly very excited. He shushed her as they approached the door. "Excuse me?" She said after he stopped. <em>Did he just <em>shush _me?_

"Sorry. But I want to make sure that the guys don't get suspicious." He let go of her hand and pushed an ear up to the door. "It doesn't sound like they're inside. But wait here, I'll be right back." He swiped his room key into the slot and disappeared.

A few minutes later he opened the door and beckoned her in. With a nervous glance up and down the hall, Mercedes followed him.

"Guess everyone's at lunch?" Mercedes said as she closed the door behind her.

Sam was standing in the middle of the room with a remote in his hand and had the DVD start up screen for Avatar already showing on the TV.

"Huh. You're fast…and you brought the DVD with you." She said, mesmerized. Only Sam would be that obsessed with the movie to actually travel with it.

He nodded. "It was one of the very few things I got to keep. It wasn't going to be worth a whole lot if we sold it, so my parents just let me keep it. Of course, we don't have a DVD player at the motel, so I haven't watched it in a while." And just like a child on Christmas morning, he hurried over to one of the beds. He pushed himself up until his back hit the headboard, and patted the spot next to him.

"Come on."

Mercedes couldn't help but laugh.

Who would have thought that she would find a guy this…devoted? And to Avatar of all things.

"What if someone walks in on us?" Mercedes asked folding her arms, but Sam just shrugged.

"There's a lock on the door. We can just bolt it shut in case they try to come in."

"And then what? How will you let them in without them finding me in here?"

Sam waved an arm her way. "Don't worry about it. We'll figure out something. I'm sure they won't be back for a while anyway." He patted the bed again. "Just come _on._"

She thought for a moment. It really couldn't hurt if she just locked the door, right? And he was honestly so adorable sitting on the bed, waiting for her.

"Please?" he said, and he pushed his bottom lip out.

"Oh, stop." Mercedes said, rolling her eyes with a smile. She turned to bolt the door and then walked over to him. "Make some room."

Sam moved over and lifted up the blankets so they could get more comfortable. Mercedes scooted in under them and gathered up a few pillows behind her for support, but soon decided to lean against Sam instead as he searched through the chapter selection. He put his arm around her as he did so, his tongue between his teeth.

"What part did you get up to?" he asked.

"I don't think I remember."

He was quiet for a minute.

"I think I'll just pick a random scene then, and you can tell me if you saw it or not."

"Sounds good."

He flicked through the menu and then hit play. It started at a random scene that Mercedes was sure she hadn't seen, but she didn't say anything. She couldn't quite remember the movie at all, to be honest, but she wouldn't tell Sam that. He would throw a fit.

Two of the blue people, Mercedes couldn't remember their names, were standing amidst a sea of what looked like glowing vines hanging from a tree. It seemed like they were whispering about something very important, and by the look on Sam's face, she could tell that it was. He was staring at the screen intently and had a firm grip on her shoulder. He rubbed his thumb up and down against her skin, sending shivers up her spine.

There was no way she could focus on the movie if he kept that up. The skin of his hand felt warm and comforting against her own, and she cuddled up closer to him, wrapping her arm around his body. He rested his chin lightly on top of her head.

Mercedes had closed her eyes for just a few seconds, reveling in the moment, happy that they had this time to share with each other. She felt at peace, her steady breathing playing against his ever increasing one. She was about to ask him if something was wrong, why his heart had suddenly began to speed up, when she opened her eyes and the screen caught her attention.

They were kissing. The blue people on the screen were kissing. Music surrounded them and it grew continuously louder. The camera spun out and around, taking in the scene in its entirety.

"What…" Mercedes began, lifting her head off of Sam's chest. "Sam, are they…" she turned from the screen to look at him, but he caught her gaze within an instant and she was left speechless.

She stared into his eyes, noticing something that wasn't there earlier today. She could feel his chest rising and falling with a more rapid pace than before. She watched as he licked his lips.

_Damn, why does he always do that? _She thought. She loved his lips. She had to constantly try her hardest to keep her own away from them. But seeing him lick them…well, let's just say that it didn't do wonders for her self control.

Without taking his eyes off of her, Sam reached out a hand and picked up the remote. He pointed it towards the TV and hit a button, which apparently turned the movie off.

It was suddenly very quiet in the hotel room. The only thing noticeable was Sam's obvious breathing, but Mercedes had no doubt that he could probably hear her heart, as well. It definitely seemed to be blaring at a deafening tone in her ears.

She felt Sam's fingers press hard against her shoulder, and she fell back easily onto the bed. He leaned over her, and with a small smile, he pressed his lips against her neck.

"What…" Mercedes whispered.

What had gotten into him? It was like one minute they were fine, everything was calm and relaxed, and the next second, he had her pinned flat on the bed with his mouth at her throat. And what was more; she didn't want him to stop.

"Sam…what if…" she gasped and lost her train of thought as he gently sucked at the skin around her collarbone. His fingers grazed the fabric that lay over her skin and he grumbled something unintelligible as he tried to push it away.

She was trying to tell him that they could be walked in on at any moment. Images from when they were almost caught by his mother at the motel flashed in her mind. Why wasn't her brain working? Why wasn't it cooperating with her?

"Shh." He said, taking a finger to her lips. He sat up all of a sudden and attached his fingers to the bottom of his t-shirt. He pulled it off with ease, the action sending is hair flying every which way, and threw it on the floor. Then he situated himself directly above her, leaning down to resume his job of trailing hot kisses on her skin.

"Sam…" Mercedes whispered yet again. She was trying, she definitely was. But the part of her brain that was in charge of speech and common sense was apparently shut down.

Sam laughed against her skin.

Oh, he _knew_ what he was doing to her. He _knew_ and he was having the time of his life.

"This is what you get for making me beg in the park." He said quietly. "And then refusing to continue."

_Oh really? _Mercedes thought. His laugh had knocked some sense into her, even though her breath was coming faster now. He had managed to get his hands up under her shirt again. His fingertips tickled her skin as they traveled farther up. She forced herself to focus. _He wants to play dirty. Ok, fine. We'll play dirty._

Quickly, she grabbed a hold of his arms. He was so surprised by her sudden movement that he didn't have time to react as she pushed them away. She moved out from under him, and he made a move to grab her, but she slapped his hand away.

"No." she said, waving a finger at him. "My turn."

He cocked his head to the side, confused.

"On your back, Evans." He didn't say a word, but he did as he was told. Nobody teased Mercedes Jones and got away with it. _Especially_ not her boyfriend.

He lay back on the bed, watching her intently. Mercedes situated herself over him, just as he had done seconds before. She crawled up the length of his body, her face hovering mere inches from his. He closed his eyes, expecting to feel the tender touch of her lips against his, when she ducked and went for his chest.

She trailed her own kisses down his chest, taunting him. She kept it light and airy, just soft enough to give him a tingle and send that familiar shiver down his spine. Sam groaned and grasped a handful of the blanket that lay next to them.

She paid special attention to his abs and bellybutton, which admittedly drove him insane. He bucked his hips as she kissed just below it and a soft whimper escaped his lips.

"Relax." Mercedes said with an evil smile. She reached up to press his chest down.

"I…" was all that she heard him say before his voice trailed off into nothing but soft panting.

She had reached the top of his jeans. That perfect little V shape peeked out of the top of them, and it took everything in Mercedes not to just rip the pants of the boy. Instead, she allowed her fingers to dance around the buckle, taunting him with her eyes.

"Please…" Sam said, his voice shaky. He could hardly speak.

Mercedes grabbed the buckle, pulling the excess part of the belt out from the loop. Sam closed his eyes and breathed in deep, trying to focus on what was going on. Mercedes managed to pull the leather free.

The only thing in her way now was a button and a zipper.

She looked up at Sam and he stared back at her. His husky, ragged breathing, his hair matted to his forehead, his eyes full of lust and longing. He wanted this, there was no denying it. He wasn't pressuring her, she knew, but she wholeheartedly wanted to go through with it too.

Slowly, not taking her eyes off of his, she reached out a hand towards that button and zipper…

...

...

...

* * *

><p><strong>Ahh! I'm <strong>_**so**_** sorry I had to do that (Ok, I'm not. Not really, anyway!). But I feel like such a tease xD I hope you're not too mad at me for leaving you hanging like that? I'll make it up to you, I promise! I won't make you wait too long for the next chapter. It's just that ending it like this was too appealing for me :)**

**I wanted to make this chapter with just Sam and Mercedes enjoying each other's company. No talk of parents, or Nationals, or the rest of the club. Just Sam and Mercedes, with some dork thrown in ;) Leave it up to Sam to get turned on by Avatar, huh?**

**I hope you enjoyed!  
>And remember, I torture you all because I love you all :)<br>Stay tuned!**


	10. I Only Have Eyes For You

Mercedes' hands reach towards the button and zipper of Sam's jeans, teasingly slow.

She watched him carefully as her fingers found the fabric and the cool source of the button. He was breathing hard but staring down at her hands as if they he had never seen them before now.

She managed to unbutton it with ease and moved quickly down to his zipper. However, apparently Sam was growing impatient, as he immediately unzipped them himself and pushed his jeans off in quick succession. He threw it on the floor somewhere in the direction of his t-shirt.

There he lay, in just a plain pair of black boxers and white socks. Mercedes' heart raced as he looked into her eyes through his disheveled hair. The light from between the window blinds shone off his skin just right, giving him and the room a faint glow.

She crawled back up to him, back up to his lips, because her need to kiss him had grown so much in just a few simple seconds. She no longer wanted to taunt him.

She just wanted him.

He smiled knowingly and pulled her along, so that she was situated right in front of his face, straddling his body. Their lips met, over and over again. His hands found the bottom of her shirt and he lifted it over the top of her head with ease and tossed it aside. He pulled her back down and kissed the newly exposed skin of her chest.

"Sam..." She whispered, clutching his head softly.

"You are so...beautiful..." He whispered in between passionate kisses.

He looked up at her to see that she was watching him, her dark hair falling over the sides of her face. The soft light from the window also reflected in his blue eyes, and they seemed brighter against the dim light of the room.

"I'm sorry." He said with a sheepish grin. "I don't know what came over me. I just couldn't stand it anymore. Having you in bed with me-"

"Shh. Don't talk." Mercedes whispered, touching his face. He fell silent immediately.

His hands fell to her hips, to the top of her jeans, and a devilish look replaced the innocence of the blue in his eyes.

Understanding, and completely wanting it as well, Mercedes rolled off of him and allowed him to pull off her own jeans. He bent down low, right over her legs, grinning as the jeans grew lower. When they got to her feet, she kicked them off entirely. They flew off the bed and onto the floor, much to the surprise of Sam.

"Excited?" He asked.

"Maybe a little."

"I'm sure that's an understatement."

He sat there for a moment, revelling in the sight of her body. Of her skin. Her gorgeous curves.

Mercedes looked down at herself. She was two pieces of clothing away from being exposed in a way she was never exposed before.

And in that fleeting moment, she suddenly wished that they hadn't gotten this far.

Sam hadn't moved yet. He ran a single finger lightly up her right leg and then over to and down her left, sending tingles through her entire body.

Mercedes watched his fingers. She watched his face. She tried to read what his eyes were saying. She had never made herself this vulnerable. She looked away from where he sat, towards the windows.

Sam leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her thigh. He looked up at her as he did so, desperate to see her reaction, only to notice that she had turned her head and was trying to avoid his eyes.

He frowned.

"Hey," he said softly, sitting upright. "Cedes."

Mercedes blinked and turned her head slightly to him.

"Yes?" She asked, putting on a small smile. It would have worked, had she been with anyone else, she was sure. But the problem was that Sam saw right through it.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Why would something be wrong?"

He was silent for a few seconds. Then suddenly, he moved to lie down next to her, propping himself up on his elbow. He wrapped the other hand around her waist, wanting her as close to him as possible. He felt a rush of excitement as her warm skin touched his, but he kept himself under control.

"You can tell me, you know. If you want to stop. I'm not pressuring you. I hope know that. I would never, _ever_ do that."

Mercedes shook her head on the pillow.

"I know you won't...it's not that."

"Then what is it? Please, Mercedes. Tell me."

She sighed.

How was she supposed to tell him though? How was she supposed to bring down those walls, where she kept her insecurities hidden from the entire world? She put on a smile and strut her stuff with pride whenever she could, because she truly believed she was beautiful. She didn't need any more assurance.

But that was different. _This_ was different.

Here. In bed. With nothing protecting her but a bra and underwear, that pride she had was shaken to its very core. Here was Sam in all of his perfection, and here she was, feeling anything but. She swallowed a painful sob, determined not to make a fool of herself at a time like this.

"Mercedes." Sam said, his voice barely audible. It was hurting him to see her so conflicted.

She turned away from him quickly and sat up. She swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"Lunch would be over right about now." She said simply, though she hadn't taken one look at a clock. "They'll be back any second." She wasn't looking at him, but she could tell that he had frozen.

"Oh..." He said after a while of no movement. "Right." She heard him sigh and then felt the bed move as he stood up to gather his clothes. She made no move to get hers.

The silence seemed to burn through the air and it caught at her throat. She wanted to choke out a cry or an apology or _something_ to let him know that it wasn't his fault. That she was not upset with him at all, but she couldn't find her voice.

Instead, Sam spoke into the silence.

"You know, this isn't the first time I've told you this. And it's not going to be the last, I can promise you that but...you _are_ beautiful. I wouldn't lie to you."

He pulled his shirt on after his jeans and walked over to the TV. He popped the Avatar DVD out and busied himself with putting it back. All the while, he didn't say another word.

Mercedes put her own clothes on in silence as well and stood there for a few seconds, debating if she should say something or not.

But when he turned to her, it was with a smile, one of those smiles that were natural for Sam. Warm. Inviting. That kind of smile.

He tossed the DVD into his open suitcase and walked over to the bed. He pulled the sheets and began fixing the covers.

"Gotta hide the evidence if we want to keep this up any longer."

Mercedes shot him a shy smile and walked over to help. Hopefully he wasn't too upset with her, she thought. Hopefully he understood.

It might take her a while, but she promised herself that she was going to sort this out. She was already hiding her relationship with Sam from the world and she didn't want to have to hide from him, too. She didn't think she could handle any more secrets.

* * *

><p>The guys appeared in the room about fifteen minutes after Mercedes left. Sam was lying in bed, flicking through the available channels, not really paying attention to what was on the screen.<p>

He had a feeling he knew what was going on. He had a feeling and he was frustrated that he couldn't do anything more to help her out. He hated that look in her eyes when she gave him that "I'm-fine-don't-worry-about-it" kind of smile before she left. He didn't want to see her hurt.

It was the same reason he decided to ask her to dance at prom. His eyes had landed on _her_, out of every single person in the gym, sitting alone at her table. She had looked beautiful in that dress. More than beautiful, if that was even possible. It blew his mind how not even one idiot male in that entire room could see that. Were they all just that stupid?

Could they not see this amazing, wonderful, talented woman that could light up the room with a single smile? Were they blind?

So he took matters into his own hands, that night. He decided that he was not going to be that stupid, blind male. He was not going to let her get away. He promised himself that he was going to see her smile and that he was going to be the one to make her do it.

And he did.

He made her smile. He made her night and she made his.

And look at where they were now. Keeping secrets from their friends, sure, but together nonetheless. That had to count for something, right?

She was feeling self-conscious, he knew. The way she reacted sold her out. But couldn't she see how crazy he was about her? Didn't she understand that nothing was about to change the way he felt about her?

"Hey, dude. Where were you?"

Sam was shaken out of his thoughts as a rolled up paper ball was tossed at his head. He looked up to see that Puck was the culprit.

"Yeah, we were looking everywhere for you." Mike added.

"Mercedes was gone too." Artie piped up.

"So were Rachel and Kurt..." Finn mumbled.

Puck sank onto the bed opposite Sam, pushing a pillow under his head.

"Where did you all sneak off to?"

Sam shrugged, not really paying attention to the conversation. His mind was still somewhere down the hall with Mercedes.

"I needed some time to think. Took a walk around the city."

"Damn dude." Puck said, eyeing him. "You could've told me. I would've snuck out with you. The food they have in the restaurant downstairs wasn't as good as I thought it'd be." Mike nodded in agreement. Puck closed his eyes. "And they didn't even let me drink."

Sam didn't say anything. Apparently the dullness in his voice flew right over all of their heads. They didn't seem to notice that he honestly did have a lot on his mind. Not that he would have been able to tell them what was wrong, but still. Having them ask would have been comforting. They were all there for Finn when he needed advice, weren't they?

"Anyway," Artie said, pulling out a notebook and pencil from a pocket in his wheelchair. He placed it on his lap and looked at each one of them. "We're going to have to start brainstorming now. We're seriously behind in this song writing thing."

It seemed like an easy enough command, but after a long dry spell of absolutely no ideas, the guys were about ready to give up.

"I think we should get the girls and Kurt in here. More minds equal more ideas." Finn said, feeling proud of his comment.

"Whatever you say, chief." Puck saluted Finn, though his eyes were still closed.

Not long after, the girls and Kurt had situated themselves around the room, ready for what was most likely their last brainstorming session. This technically made this session the most important, but no matter.

It took them a long time to get focused, as chatter started about Mr. Schue wanting to leave the glee club and McKinley to do a Broadway musical with none other than April Rhodes.

Again, Sam wasn't really paying attention. He had to constantly force himself to look away from Mercedes. She was sitting across the room on the same bed they had shared just a few hours earlier and it was driving him crazy. He had to make sure his eyes didn't linger on her too long when she spoke, and Mercedes did the same.

However, after a while, they had both forgotten that they were supposed to be playing it cool. It just wasn't working out as well as either of them had hoped. Sam managed to put a smile on her face with quite an unnecessary, intense gaze in her direction. Mercedes looked down and bit her lip, trying to choke back a laugh, which caused Sam to turn his head away from her, grinning.

They played this little silent game of eye contact until Mr. Schue showed up, ready to help with several boxes of pizzas.

* * *

><p>Today was the day. Today, everything will be laid down on the line and the New Directions would put their hard work into action.<p>

Mercedes stood in front of the mirror in the girls' room, fixing her dress and her hair. She smiled at her reflection, loving how the black dress fell against her body. Feeling good and looking amazing in their costumes always gave them a little extra boost of confidence, so it was worth the smile.

_We can do this. _She thought to herself. _We're gonna win this thing. _

She took a deep breath. Positivity flowed through her.

Nothing was going to bring her down today. She would keep her head up high. She would smile and sing her heart out and dance like never before.

She would be confident and she would think of Sam.

Because right now, having him was enough to make her smile. And after yesterday, after feeling as if she let him down somehow, she was determined to let him know. He _deserved_ to know how he made her feel.

After a final breath and a smack of her lip gloss stained lips, she turned on her heel and marched out of the room.

* * *

><p>The final lyric dropped. The music stopped. The crowd jumped to their feet. The New Directions stood in their spots, chests heaving.<p>

_We did it. _Sam thought, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He stood there for a few seconds, his eyes scanning the crowd. Everyone was out of their seats, smiling, cheering, and clapping. He spotted Mr. Schue in the audience, pride clearly radiating off of him as he waved his arms and cheered for them.

The group broke their positions, ecstatic that they had done as well as they did. Most of them hadn't expected to.

Arms were everywhere. He could see his fellow glee clubbers crashing into each other, squealing with delight in what they were sure was a definite win.

He could see them reaching out for him, ready to pull him into hugs and friendly embraces. They wanted to share this moment with him. He ignored them, though. His eyes were on the lookout for only one person in particular.

He didn't even have to think about it. Didn't _want_ to think about it. He just ran to her. He ran to her and threw his arms around her and held her tight, closing his eyes as he did.

And to his joy, she hugged him right back. In front of everyone, the glee club, the audience, _everyone_. She didn't second guess it.

She just did it.

And at that moment, he swore that being able to hold her in his arms was an even greater gift than winning Nationals.

Forget all the secrets and all the worries.

He had his girl and she had him. That was all that mattered.

* * *

><p><strong>So, um, you guys. Over 100 reviews? Just THANK YOU SO MUCH. I love every single review you have given me and it means so much that you enjoy my writing. I need to start responding to you all personally, so you'll be hearing from me soon :)<br>**

**ALSO, I was thinking, I'm not sure how far I can let Sam and Mercedes go with just a "T" rating, so was wondering if anyone would object to me changing the rating to "M"? I would really appreciate your opinions!**


	11. That's What I'm Here For

"What. The. Hell."

Those were the first words out of Santana Lopez's mouth when the New Directions arrived back at the room. She was silent the entire ride up to their floor and as they walked down the hall, but apparently she decided that now was the perfect time to finally let it all out.

"Did you really have to make such a stupid move? What the freaking hell were you two thinking?"

Rachel stood in the center of the room, as if she was getting ready to take a beating for what happened during her and Finn's performance.

"Santana…" Mr. Schue said calmly, reaching out a hand to her. Santana brushed him off.

"No!" she yelled. "No. If it weren't for these two idiots, we would have placed! And everyone knows I'm right, so stop trying to protect them!" She glared at Rachel.

"I'm sorry you feel that way Santana, but we still have-"

"Oh, don't you _dare_ say that we have next year, Berry. Don't you even dare."

"But we do-"

"I don't want to hear it!"

"Santana, you're-" Rachel began.

Mercedes honestly thought of personally walking up to Rachel and covering her mouth. She wouldn't stop talking and that wasn't doing well for Santana's temper.

But before she could fully make up her mind, Santana had launched herself towards Rachel, and instead of rushing to Rachel's aid, Mercedes stood frozen, rooted to the spot.

A few of the glee clubbers, Sam included, rushed over to the angry Latina, trying to pull her back, to calm her down. Rachel seemed to shrink a few inches in embarrassment, but otherwise, she stood her ground.

The room was soon filled with Santana's voice, her words rolling off of her tongue in complete Spanish now. Hardly anyone understood what she was saying, but everyone knew that it was anything but kind.

It was chaos.

Mr. Schue, who had stood by while all of this was going on, finally moved up to help. He looked at Rachel and nodded towards the door. Rachel took his silent advice and left the room briskly, not even stopping to look at Finn as the door closed behind her.

Mercedes looked over at Sam. His arms were wrapped around Santana, dragging her back along with help from the others.

Her heart sank. They were supposed to _win_.

They were supposed to tell the group during the celebrations.

However, with Santana in a full force of rage and Rachel running out and everyone else spiraling down in what seemed to be a slow, quiet depression, how were they supposed to break the news now?

* * *

><p>It was crazy to think how far they'd come in such a short space of time. They had boarded their plane to New York with such high spirits, a good several days ago. They were ecstatic to the point where nothing could bring them down. Tonight, however, they were leaving the famous city, crushed and disappointed.<p>

Mercedes sat back in her seat on the airplane and closed her eyes, letting out a heavy sigh. She had gotten a seat alone, thankfully. The flight wasn't a full one and there was enough for a few of them to have some space to themselves. They hardly spoke to each other ever since they found out that they didn't place. It was just too heartbreaking under the current circumstances.

She glanced out of the small, square window next to her, down at the busy city as it seemed to drift away. It was a city she was sure she would never get the chance to see again in person. At least, not anytime soon, anyway.

What was the point in having so much confidence when you were only likely to be so disappointed? Was it even worth it?

She had told Sam, on that beautiful day in Central Park, that they were going to win this thing. She had no idea how wrong she was, at the time. She would have never filled his head with so much false hope and beliefs if she knew they would all have to be dealing with this.

All their hard work. For an entire year. Down the drain.

The plane was silent, covered in semi-darkness, as it was only a little past 9:00. Passenger after passenger had clicked off their overhead lights, hoping to sneak in at least an hour of sleep before they arrived in Lima.

Mercedes was sure she was drifting off to sleep as well, tired with the stress of their loss, until she heard a soft "ahem", someone clearing their throat. She opened her eyes and peered into the darkness.

Sam was standing in the aisle, staring down at her.

"Mind if I sit down?" he asked, quietly, pointing at the empty seat next to her. His tone was just above a whisper.

Mercedes sat up a little, trying to look over the seats in front of her, to see if anyone happened to be watching them.

"Don't worry. No one's really paying attention. They all just want to forget about everything." Sam told her, already understanding. He slipped into the seat without another word.

"How are you doing?" she asked. He put his hands behind his head and didn't answer for a while.

"I'm alright, I guess." He turned his head towards her. "You?"

Mercedes shrugged. "I keep thinking I'm alright. But I wish I wasn't so sure we were going to win. It might have been better if I hadn't gotten my hopes up so much. I always do, and things don't always turn out the way I expect them to."

"Hm." Was all Sam said. Mercedes glanced down again, out of the window. They were getting higher and higher with each passing second. Away from the craziness of New York and the freedom they felt while they were there.

"And we were supposed to tell them. The moment was completely ruined."

"We'll get another chance, I'm sure. But don't stress about it. When the time's right, they'll find out."

She thought about that for a moment. "You're right." she said with a sigh.

"Did you know what I like most about you?" Sam asked suddenly.

Mercedes' thoughts were stopped in their tracks.

"What?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Your confidence. How you always know what you want and you go for it. It's actually kind of rubbing off on me, to tell you the truth."

Mercedes laughed and shook her head.

"I don't feel very positive right about now, I'll tell you that."

"I know." A pause. "But, I guess that's what I'm here for."

Mercedes watched him. He sat up, turning his body awkwardly in the chair so as to face her.

"I'm your boyfriend, Mercedes. Right?"

He caught her off guard with the question. He _always_ caught her off guard. Mercedes nodded silently and whispered. "Yes, of course. Of course you are."

"Well, as your boyfriend, I need to know that you're comfortable around me."

"Oh. I am-"

"I mean, totally comfortable." He stopped, thought for a second, and continued. "I don't want you to feel like you have to hide from me."

Mercedes looked down at her hands. She knew why he was saying this.

"I know…" she whispered.

"You're amazing, Mercedes. You're beautiful and confident and fantastic and funny. And if anyone _ever _made you think otherwise…well, I can't even begin to tell you how wrong they were. Because they really missed out on a great opportunity to have you in their life."

Sam finished in a hushed tone, and silence fell between them again. He had wanted to get this off of his chest since she left him alone in the hotel room and he wasn't planning on holding back a thing.

Tears. Salty, hot, tears. They fell from her eyes and paved watery paths down her cheeks. It was all she could do to show him what his words had meant to her. From the stress about losing Nationals to worrying about their relationship, she suddenly let it all go.

"And when those times come when you feel anything but confident, baby, remember that I'm here for you. I'll remind you how gorgeous you are and try to keep you from forgetting again."

Mercedes bit her lip. Of course she believed him. How could she not? He had been nothing short of amazing in the time they had been together. He didn't have to convince her, but still, his words were comforting and were exactly what she needed to hear at a time like this.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"Anytime, Mercy." He reached over to her and brushed his fingers across her cheeks, wiping the small tears away. She took his hand away and held it.

"And, I'm sorry."

Sam looked confused. "For what?"

"I felt bad for leaving right after I did. It wasn't your fault. I wasn't upset with you. I should have talked to you about it. I just felt…I don't know. I don't know what I felt." she chuckled, though what she was saying was completely serious.

There was a shuffle of movement as someone stood up on the other side of the plane. The body shuffled groggily down the aisle, in the direction of the bathroom.

Sam spoke, just as quietly as before.

"I wasn't mad at you though. You don't have to apologize. I was just worried."

"But it's like you said. You're my boyfriend." She smiled up at him through watery eyes. "And I knew you would have made me feel better if I had just told you. I just got scared, that's all. I never…I'd never been so exposed before. But then I started thinking too much and I kind of made a mess of everything in my head."

Sam laughed. "Don't worry. Wanna talk about messy thoughts? Visit the mind of Sam Evans."

Mercedes was quiet.

"Not…that my thoughts are, like, X-rated…or anything."

"I didn't say they were…" she tried holding back a laugh.

"Oh. Right." There was a quick pause and then he jumped to change the subject. "So."

"So?"

"We're going home."

"Yes."

"To our parents."

Mercedes understood where he was taking this, and she groaned out loud and buried her face in her hands.

"I think Nationals drained me of all of my confidence."

He pulled her into a hug, despite the awkward position they were in because of the seat's arm rests.

"Aren't you nervous?" she asked, peering through her fingers at him.

"What? Nervous? Hell to the no."

This time, the laugh that rang through Mercedes was so strong, that it couldn't be held back. To stop her from waking the entire plane, Sam hurried and crushed his lips to hers, drowning out the sound in an instant. Mercedes closed her eyes. She melted into the kiss, completely forgetting what she had found so hilarious mere moments ago.

Instead, she focused on the feeling that seemed to course through every vein in her body as he continued to kiss her.

* * *

><p>They were all dropped off at their individual homes pretty late that Friday night. The flight from New York to Lima's tiny airport was about two hours long, plus there was also the time it took to get them all dropped off at the right place.<p>

Getting off the bus, driven by one of the staff from McKinley, Mercedes looked down towards the back, where Sam was awake and watching her. She gave him a wave goodnight and was tempted to blow him a cheesy kiss, but held back. She didn't really have to worry though. Everyone was already dozing off in their own seats, hardly paying any attention to Sam's and Mercedes' silent goodbyes.

Sam waved back at her and mouthed a quick goodnight.

As she walked up the front steps to the house, the lights from the front porch flicking on, her mind flashed back through everything that had happened over the past week.

Sam had taken her on a picnic date in Central Park. They had talked about Nationals and laughed about Sam's personal life and argued about Avatar and made out and had the time of their lives, all in such a short space of time.

Was it all even real? Sam and Mercedes had gotten closer than they had ever thought was possible. They had learned so much about each other already. A part of her was sure that it was all a dream.

Because, and be honest now, can you really blame her? The dork and the diva? Who would have guessed it? Not Mercedes, definitely.

She pushed her key into the lock and stepped inside the house, craving her bed and desperate to get to sleep.

* * *

><p>The next day, Mercedes paced up and down her parents' tidy living room, wringing her hands. Sam sat on the couch, watching her.<p>

Sam had come over early Saturday morning, despite getting in late the night before. Mercedes had promised that they were going to tell her parents, once and for all. And seeing as Sam had told her that he would be right there with her when she did, he made an effort to wake up early just to make sure that he looked completely presentable for the Joneses.

He appeared on her doorstep with his dad's black blazer, the same one he wore to prom, Mercedes noticed, a white shirt and a pair of dark jeans. His hair was pushed back, which allowed Mercedes to get a clear view of his eyes. She loved when his hair was messy, and he knew it, but it was nice not having to look through the crazy blond locks that just fell wherever they pleased.

"Sorry about the Converse. I didn't want to wear dressy shoes and look too dressed up." He had said, causing her to laugh.

They were in the living room now though, and Mercedes was a nervous wreck.

"Mercedes, come on," he said, patting the space next to him. "It's going to be fine. If your parents are anything like you then I'm sure everything will be ok. Just come sit down and stop worrying. You're making me nervous just looking at you."

Mercedes shot him a dirty look, but went to sit next to him anyway.

"Ugh!" she groaned, doubling over and burying her face in her hands. "Where are they? I just want to get this over with."

Sam placed a hand on her back. He rubbed it gently, trying to calm her down.

"Baby, you're acting like we're telling them we're getting married." He thought for a moment. "No, by the sound of it, we've already gotten married _without_ their blessing and we're actually telling them that you're expecting."

"Who's expecting?"

Mercedes jumped out of her seat to see Marcus standing in the doorway. He was wearing a curious expression as he pulled off his jacket and tossed it over the back of a nearby chair.

"Don't tell me it's you, Cedes. Dad will throw a fit."

"Marcus?" Mercedes asked, trying to put some space between her and Sam. "What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be out with the guys." She sounded nervous. And she started wringing her hands again.

"Nah. Devon had to leave early. So did James. So we all called it a night. No sense staying if they were leaving."

_Great. _Mercedes thought. _That's just perfect._

Marcus glanced at Sam and gave him a nod.

"Who's this? We met before?"

As politely as possible, like the perfect boyfriend, Sam stood up and stuck his hand out.

"Yeah, we met before. I'm Sam. Evans. I go to school with Mercedes. We're in glee club together."

"Oh, _right. _The Nude Erections." Mercedes cringed, and made a mental note to slap him later. "I remember." Marcus shook his hand.

"You play any sports?"

"Yeah, actually I'm on the football-"

"Marcus, you need to leave." Mercedes said abruptly. Sam watched her out of the corner of his eye. Marcus narrowed his eyes at her.

"What? Why?"

"I need to talk to Mom and Dad. It's personal. And I don't want to have to deal with your jokes."

"I thought you always _loved_ my jokes." Instead of leaving, Marcus walked around Mercedes and sank down onto the opposite couch, stretching his arms and legs out. "Besides, whatever happens to this family includes me too, doesn't it?"

Sam stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say. He didn't want to get in the middle of the two of them.

"Yes, but this isn't about the entire family. This is about _me_. In other words, it's none of _your_ business." She dropped her hands to her hips and glared at her older brother, but Marcus refused to move.

Mercedes threw her hands up and turned away from him.

"God, Marcus!" she yelled. "You're so damn frustrating sometimes!"

"Language, Cedes." He said, grinning.

"I swear to God-" she began, raising an angry fist.

"Does this have anything to do with blondie over here?" Marcus asked suddenly, pointing casually to Sam. "No offense."

Sam ignored the jab at his hair as his eyes darted from Marcus to Mercedes. Then back to Marcus, before finally resting on Mercedes.

"What? No. No, it doesn't-"

"Because why else would he be here?"

"Shut up, Marcus. Sam doesn't-"

"And you obviously have _no_ objections to him being here instead of me, which makes a whole lot of sense, apparently."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do though."

The silence in the room was thick at this point. Mercedes stared her brother down, anger etched in all of her beautiful features. Sam swallowed uneasily and put a hand on Mercedes' shoulder.

Marcus frowned.

"Mercedes…just tell him." He whispered to her.

"Yes, _Mercedes,_ enlighten me."

"No! It's none of your business! God dammit, Marcus. You are my _brother_, _not_ my father. I don't need to tell you ANYTHING! SO BACK OFF!" she reached out for Sam then, ready to pull him into the hallway, ready to leave the house entirely.

Until she ran into her parents.

They stood in the doorway, their faces serious.

"Dad…" Mercedes said, her breath almost knocked out of her completely.

"Mercedes." Her father said, with a small nod. He looked over her shoulder at Marcus, standing there with his arms crossed. "Marcus."

And then his eyes rested on Sam.

"What was all that shouting for? And who's this?" her mother asked.

"It was nothing, mom. And Sam and I were just leaving." She made to grab for him again, but someone else caught her hand. Marcus was holding on to her, keeping her from leaving.

"Actually, Mercedes. I think it's about time that you tell our parents that you and Sam over here are dating."

* * *

><p><strong>And there we have it, everyone. A cliffhanger ending to the chapter and the big reveal, thanks to Marcus.<strong>

**What do you think? Will Sam and Mercedes finally let everything fall out into the open? Or will they continue to deny what's been going on for _weeks_? And then there are the reactions of her parents to look forward to. Oh boy!**

**Thanks so much for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter to find out! :)**


	12. I'm Done

_"Actually, Mercedes. I think it's about time that you tell our parents that you and Sam over here are dating."_

A cold chill ran down the length of Mercedes' spine. She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling as if she'd been drenched from head to toe with one of McKinley's famous slushies.

_What did he just do. _She thought to herself.

"What?" she heard her mother say. Mercedes wasn't looking at them. She couldn't look at them.

Marcus laughed and she heard him drop himself onto the couch. She could feel Sam next to her, as he reached out a hand and brushed it against her arm gently, comfortingly.

"Mercedes." Her father said. His voice was strong and serious, and she almost cringed as it seemed to ring out in the silence.

"I don't know why she'd keep it a secret." Marcus went on, when Mercedes didn't respond. She looked at him then. He had propped his feet up on a nearby footstool and shrugged. "Maybe she's embarrassed of him."

Mercedes frowned at her brother, wishing with everything that she could reach out and strangle him. She was _not _embarrassed of Sam in any way, shape, or form. It was her family that she was worried about.

But her mind moved away from her brother, to the single hand that rested on her arm. Sam's already light grip had loosened even more, and she could swear she felt him step away from her.

"That's the only thing _I_ can think of." Marcus finished.

The hand disappeared. She heard a low and quiet, "Excuse me." And then footsteps.

Mercedes spun around, ready to grab for Sam's hand, but she was too late. He pushed past her and her still-stunned parents, who hardly made a move to stop him.

"Sam, wait!" she cried out. Marcus chuckled from the couch and she turned to glare at him. "You're such an ass!" She didn't care that her parents were standing there. She would say it again if she had to. It's not like they did anything to stop Marcus just a few seconds ago.

Without another glance, she hurried out of the room.

* * *

><p>Sam had already made it outside and was storming down the front steps by the time she got up to him. She grabbed hold of the back of his jacket, trying to pull him back.<p>

"Wait, please!" she called. "I'm sorry about Marcus-"

He stopped walking and turned to face her. He was so quick about it that all she could do in that second was blink. "Are you, really?" he asked.

"Sam…what, of course-"

"God, Mercedes." He said, half-laughing and throwing his hands up in the air. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

"What? Sam, no, please-"

"We promised each other that we were going to tell our parents. Didn't we?" he waited for her to answer. "_Didn't we_?" he repeated, exasperated.

"Yes, _yes_. We did. And I'm-"

"I _promised _that I was going to be here for you when you told them. And guess what?" he paused. "I'm here! I was standing _right next to you. _Why couldn't you just say it? All you had to say was, 'We're dating'. It's not that hard!"

"Well, it's not that simple either!" she blurted out.

Sam looked taken aback.

"What's so complicated about it?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. He brought his voice down to a whisper and leaned over her. "Is it the fact that you're black and I'm white?"

Mercedes felt as if she couldn't breathe. She had never, not once, said that.

"Sam…please, I'm sorry-"

"You're not denying it. So Marcus was right." He took a step back, away from her. Then another. "_I _was right. You _are_ embarrassed of me."

Mercedes started shaking her head.

"No. No. No." she repeated, over and over again. "I don't even care about that!"

"Well, what else could it be? Because, help me, Mercedes. I can't think of anything else."

"I just didn't want them to reject us…" she whispered, looking down at her hands. "I know how opinionated my family can be, and I didn't think I could stand it if they said anything negative."

She looked up at him again, hoping to see his kind expression. But she was disappointed.

He stopped backing away from her. He was on the sidewalk now, hands in his pockets, hair hanging in front of his eyes. She made a move to walk up to him, wanting to throw her arms around him and just forget this whole thing, but she forced herself to stay in place. She understood that now just wasn't the right time.

"Remember when we were in Central Park?" his voice called out to her, steady and clear, despite the fact that he now stood so far away from her. She nodded. "We felt as if no one could touch us. We were free from the eyes of all our friends."

She didn't say anything. Her heart felt heavy and she wanted to sit down, on the steps maybe, but her feet felt rooted to the spot. She couldn't move.

"But we weren't exactly alone." Sam continued. He looked down at his scuffed up Converse and kicked aside a few rocks. He looked like a little schoolboy, but when he spoke, his words were serious. "I didn't care though. And _you _didn't care, either. Hell, we were in a park filled with _hundreds_ of people, every single one of them able to see us together. My point being? _We didn't care_."

Mercedes swallowed, wanting desperately to drown out a cry that was rising in her throat. He had kissed her on the plane ride back from New York to keep her from laughing too loud. She found herself wishing he would do the same right now, though this was under drastically different circumstances.

"I, uh," Sam looked down the street, squinting his eyes, but Mercedes knew he wasn't really focusing on anything. "I need some time to think."

She finally spoke. "What?" It was a breathless sound and it came out much too quiet.

"I don't know. I'll talk to you later." He said.

His gaze met hers once more. His eyes were almost fully covered by his ever-growing hair and his smile was incredibly sad.

That expression he wore triggered something in her memory. A woman in a window, watching out for her son. The woman's shoulders as she realized her son was home, safe and sound. The woman's grateful, sad smile, as she closed the blinds behind her.

And then there was the son, who was sitting right next to her in her small, cramped up car. He wore the same expression as the woman and all Mercedes wanted to do at the time, was take that hurtful look off of his face and replace it with a happy one.

Today, he bore an expression even worse that that, and Mercedes didn't know how much longer she could bear seeing him like this. How had they gotten this far? From one simple, special night of music and dancing, to now, with Mercedes on the verge of tears and Sam walking away from the house, hurt.

"Wait." She said, though she knew he couldn't hear her.

She finally found the strength to move, to run after him, but as she reached the edge of the path, onto the sidewalk, he was already halfway down the street.

Again, she was too late.

* * *

><p>Mercedes shut the door behind her, almost in a daze. Her brain felt fuzzy and fresh tears had escaped her eyes and rolled slowly down her cheeks. She stood against the door, taking a deep breath after deep breath. Replaying their final conversation in her mind over and over again.<p>

Was this it? Was that all they were going to have, she and Sam? A short romance, beautiful though it was, but marred by all the insecurities that she was too scared to admit she had?

She closed her eyes, trying to force back the tears. This time though, it didn't work. She had always done an excellent job of holding back her deepest, most personal emotions, and she usually just let the diva flow through. But she couldn't keep this hidden, not this time, no matter how hard she tried.

She sank to the floor in the hallway, her back still against the door, and clutched at her knees.

She had ruined the first relationship that had ever meant something to her. She could have prevented this, if she only had the guts to speak up in the first place. It didn't have to go this far. Sam would have still been here, laughing with her family and holding her, no doubt.

Immediately, she imagined his strong arms around her, felt his lips on hers, and remembered his eyes as they fixed themselves on her body in the hotel room. She pictured herself, brushing the too long strands of hair out of his eyes and Sam laughing at the fact that they only fell right back down when she did. She pictured his childlike smile and excitement as he argued his reason for loving Avatar and as he did his silly impressions.

_How could I mess this up?_ She thought. Sam was right. It shouldn't have been complicated. She only _made_ it complicated, with her constant worrying.

Then, at that moment, Marcus' voice rang out through the house, echoing from where he still sat in the living room, over to where she sat in the hallway.

He was laughing.

Mercedes didn't know what he was laughing at, but honestly, at this point, she didn't care. She knew that she blamed herself for what just happened with Sam, but Marcus' big mouth was the icing on this terrible cake. He pushed it to the edge.

She pushed herself up from the floor and followed the sound of his voice.

When she entered the living room, she found him still sitting on the sofa, his arms outstretched and legs on the foot-rest. He was staring at the television, SpongeBob's goofy laugh blaring through the speakers.

Her blood seemed to boil watching him sit there, laughing, as if nothing had happened just a few minutes before. He didn't seem to care that she had just run out of the house after her boyfriend and that she had come back with tear-stained cheeks.

"Marcus." She said firmly.

He turned to look at her slowly. When he saw the expression on her face, he picked up the remote and flicked the TV off. SpongeBob disappeared.

"Yes?" he asked, casually.

Mercedes thought for a moment.

"Mom! Dad!" she called at the top of her voice.

Her parents appeared in the doorway, after a few moments. She watched as her father folded his arms and her mother clasped her hands together in front of her. Mercedes took advantage of the silence and didn't waste another second.

She took a deep breath, and began.

"I spent my entire night at prom, with Sam."

The room was quiet as Mercedes went on. Not even a sound from dear brother Marcus.

"Not Rachel. Not Kurt . Or anyone else from glee club. I spent the entire night, dancing and laughing and acting stupid, with _Sam_." Mercedes laughed to herself, picturing Sam's amazing dance moves. "And you know, in that one moment, when he reached out and asked me to dance, I felt…_special_."

She turned away from her parents and sat on the couch opposite Marcus. She twisted her hands in her lap, focusing her eyes on her fingers.

"He chose me over every single other girl in that room. And we had the time of our lives together. And then, after…I drove him home, and we had a moment. It was the kind of moment I never thought I would ever have with a guy like Sam."

She always thought she would feel uncomfortable talking to her parents about a guy. She definitely didn't have to tell them all of this. She understood that something as easy as, _'Marcus is right. We're dating.'_ would have worked just fine. But it was the simple fact that she had kept everything inside for so long that when she finally got to talking about him, the words just came pouring out.

And she realized that she didn't want to stop them. She _wanted_ to keep talking about him.

"But the moment. It happened. And you know what? Over the next few days and weeks. I found myself falling for him." She looked around the room at her family. Her father, her mother, her stupid brother and she smiled. "I fell for him _hard_."

Marcus looked down at the remote resting on his lap. He picked it up and pretended to be inspecting the buttons.

"When it comes down to it, he was amazing. There's really no other word I can use to describe him. He made me happy." There were new tears in her eyes now, but she refused to brush them away. "But that doesn't matter anymore. Because I messed up. Big time. Sam left and he's hurt and upset, all because I was too scared to tell you. So it's probably too late for this and I don't know if it'll make a difference, but I don't care anymore. Think what you want. It's not going to change my feelings. I'm done hiding and I'm done keeping the stupid secrets. Sam and I started dating, those few days after prom. And every single day I got to spend with him? I wouldn't take any of them back for the world."

She stood up and without another glance at her parents or Marcus, she hurried out of the room and up the stairs.

* * *

><p>It took him a while, but Sam walked until he ended up in a nearby park. He couldn't find the strength to go home, because Stacey and Stevie would be able to tell that something was wrong. He didn't know how they did it, but they would just know. A little kid's intuition maybe? He didn't understand. But whatever it was, he didn't think that he would be able to tell them what was bothering him.<p>

He walked until he found an empty bench, overlooking a small pond. He dropped down onto it and buried his face in his hands.

His emotions were conflicting. Half of him wanted to go back and hug her and kiss her and tell her that he was sorry for walking out, sorry for yelling, and that they could just forget everything and be together. But the other half was hurting and embarrassed and confused. He didn't know what to think, much less what to do.

Marcus' words had brought back the original thoughts that he had when they first started going out. The reason that he thought Mercedes didn't want to tell her parents. The she was embarrassed of him.

He let out a deep breath and slumped back on the bench, hanging his head over the back of it. He looked up at the sky and stared at the trees for a few seconds, before closing his eyes entirely.

However, only a few minutes had passed before Sam heard a voice, calling out his name.

"Hey, Sam."

He opened one eye to see Kurt jogging towards him.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" he asked, taking the spot on the bench next to Sam.

Sam sighed and sat up again, making sure to push his hair back. He shrugged.

"Just thinking. You?"

Kurt pointed a little way down the path. Sam noticed Kurt's father, Burt, walking with his wife and Finn's mother, Carole.

"We made my dad promise to take a walk through the park every few days. It'll do him good to get a little exercise in. Keep him from getting too stressed out."

Sam nodded, but didn't say anything.

"What's up?" Kurt asked, turning serious. "You look glum." Sam laughed.

"I feel glum." Was all he said. There was silence for a few moments before Kurt whistled awkwardly.

"You don't want to talk about it, I get it. It's fine." He stood up. "But if you need any help, don't be embarrassed to ask. I mean, I know the entire glee club knows now, but that doesn't mean that you can't still ask."

Sam shook his head. "I'm fine. It's nothing."

Kurt watched him through narrowed eyes, but Carole and Burt had stopped down by the pond, obviously waiting for him. She waved over at Sam, a smile on her face. Sam waved back, forcing his own lips into a smile as well.

"Well, okay. But remember, if your family needs anything, you have our number." Kurt touched Sam's shoulder kindly, and headed after his parents. Sam watched them go, feeling lucky that he had found a friend in Kurt. Kurt may not know the situation he was in right now, but at least Sam knew that his heart was definitely in the right place.

* * *

><p>Mercedes lay in her bed, holding her phone above her face. She didn't exactly know how long she had been alone in her room, but it was now getting dark out, so it must have been hours.<p>

She stared up at the lit screen, her fingers brushing over the highlighted name. Kurt Hummel.

She wanted to call him. She wanted to tell him everything. She wanted to cry. She didn't want to tell him in the beginning, when everything was fresh and new to her, but now was different. Now she had gotten herself into something that she didn't know how to get out of.

So Mercedes took a deep breath and prepared herself to explain everything to her best friend, when there was a knock on the door. She was all braced and ready to throw one of her pillows at Marcus' head, until her mother appeared.

"Hey, baby." Mrs. Jones said. "Can I come in?"

Mercedes bit her lip, but sat up in her bed and gestured to the empty space in front of her. Her mother moved into the room and sat down. She stared at her daughter's face for a few seconds.

"What is it?" Mercedes asked quietly.

Her mother laughed softly and reached out to push a lock of hair behind Mercedes' ears.

"What did we ever do to make you embarrassed to talk to us? And about something as important as your relationship, too." Her voice was quiet, but curious. "I mean, I know we're loud when we have something to say, but we never do it to make you feel bad."

Mercedes shrugged and looked down at her hands.

"I'm sorry about that. It's not your fault. I just…I guess I made myself paranoid by thinking of all the things people would and might say about us."

"Mercedes, baby, when did anything anyone ever said to you, stop you from doing what you want to do?" she laughed, staring down at her daughter. "You're strong and confident, and I'm proud of you. But when you talked about Sam downstairs, it was real easy for me to see that the feelings you have for this boy, aren't just some butterflies in the stomach kind of feelings. You said he makes you happy. Is that true?"

Mercedes nodded. "Yes, of course. It's one hundred percent true. More than one hundred percent true. I mean, mom, he's the sweetest. I can't even tell you how perfect he is."

"Then that's all that should matter to you. The Mercedes I raised wouldn't care about the opinions of others. Am I right?" she smiled. "Forget about everyone else. Forget about every_thing _else. Just focus on what really matters: how you two feel about each other. Oh, and be careful with that word. No one is perfect, you know that."

"Yes, I know. But…he's kinda perfect for _me_, if you get what I'm saying." Mercedes groaned and pulled a pillow from behind her. She rested it on her lap and buried her face in it. "Mom, I can't stand knowing that he's mad at me. But what am I going to do? I made such a mess of everything and I don't know how to fix it."

Mrs. Jones sighed. She pulled her daughter close and planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"I'm not sure if I can tell you what to do, baby. But if he's everything you say he is, I'm sure he'll come around. Give him some time, but what you really need to do is make sure that he knows you want this relationship _just_ as much as he does."

Mercedes smiled, wrapping an arm around her mother.

"I do want this. So much. Thanks."

"Of course." Her mother leaned back and put a finger under Mercedes' chin, making her look up. "Just remember, your father and I? We're happy as long as you're happy. It doesn't matter who you choose. Just as long as he treats you right."

"He does." Mercedes said with a nod and a small smile.

"And don't mind Marcus. If anything, be happy that he found a way for you to finally spill."

"Seriously? You mean what he did wasn't an excuse for me to be mad at him?"

"Oh, of course. You can be mad at him all you want. But don't let him get to you _too_ much. You know your brother likes to see you worked up and he likes to know that he was the one that caused it." She winked.

With that, Mrs. Jones left the room, leaving Mercedes alone in the semi-darkness.

In a sudden burst of inspiration, Mercedes grabbed her phone from where it lay on the bed, and dialed the first number that came to mind. She waited a few seconds for it to ring, and smiled to herself as the other voice came to life on the other end.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kurt. It's Mercedes. Listen, I have to tell you something."

* * *

><p><strong>I'm so sorry that it took so long to get this chapter up. I kept working at it, but this was kind of heartbreaking to write too. Everything kind of bubbled over here, and Mercedes finally realized that there really was no reason at all for her to be so nervous and worked up. But, as you saw, she realized it all a little too late :(<strong>

**Maybe Kurt has some advice for our dear Miss. Jones in the next chapter. If she tells him, that is ;)**

**But she's going to fix things, though. Don't worry. She definitely plans to fix things. They won't stay apart for long. Hopefully**


	13. Strangers In the Night

**So I know that I usually have my author's notes at the end of each chapter, but I wanted to start off by apologizing for the extreme lack of updates this past month. So much came up in my life and everything was so hectic: family things and tons of hours at work (poor, broke college student here!), just to name a few.**

**That, and I decided to take a short break after I heard the news that Chord **_**really**_** wasn't coming back to Glee. I guess I thought it was best if I stepped away from writing for a little, especially since Samcedes was the basis of the only fic I was working on.**

**So I hope you know how sorry I am, and I thank you for sticking with this fic, if you have. Just know that I will now continue updating on a regular basis again. I promise!**

**Anyway, I'll stop talking now :)  
>Enjoy!<strong>

* * *

><p>"<em>Hello?"<em>

"_Hey, Kurt. It's Mercedes. Listen, I have to tell you something."_

Kurt was quiet on the other end of the line. Mercedes swallowed nervously, feeling for some strange reason as if Kurt already knew what she was going to say.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his caring, tender voice echoing into her ear. She sighed and lay back on her pillow, her lips spread out in a small smile. It seemed like it was ages ago that she last heard his voice, even though she knew that it wasn't long at all. For the past year or so, Kurt had been a major source of comfort and friendship whenever she just needed someone to talk to. Keeping a secret as big as her first real relationship from him was hard, and she didn't know how she managed to do it for so long. She had only just realized how much she missed him.

"You still there? Or did you fall asleep on me?" Kurt asked.

"No, I'm here." She answered, her eyes shifted in the darkness, towards the night sky. "Look, I've been wanting to tell you this for a long time, but I was an idiot and I thought hiding it would have been easier than everyone knowing."

Again, Kurt was quiet. Mercedes could only hear the sound of his steady breathing.

"But…now I realize that I don't care. I don't _care_ if everyone knows." She paused. "Damn it, you know what, forget that. I _want _everyone to know. I want the _world_ to know. I made a mistake, and I'm sick of hiding and keeping all these damn secrets, and-"

"Mercedes?"

"I-yeah?

"Just tell me."

Mercedes laughed and sat up. Without hesitating, without missing a beat, she said, "Sam and I are dating. We have been for the past few weeks."

She held her breath for the next few seconds, waiting for his response.

"I know."

"You know, it's okay if you don't…wait. What? What do you mean _you know_? Who told you? And I haven't told anyone else but my parents, my idiot brother, and now you, so who else knew?"

"Well, I suppose Sam knew, don't you think?"

"What? Kurt-"

"Mercedes. Sam told me."

"Sam?" her brain felt fuzzy. "You…you talked to him? He told you?"

"Yes, he told me. I ran into him in the park a few hours ago. I was out with my dad and Carole and he was there by himself." Mercedes' heart sank at his words. "We talked for a little. He looked really upset, but I just thought it had something to do with his family."

"No, it was because of me." Mercedes whispered to herself. Kurt didn't seem to hear her as he went on.

"But he caught up with us a few minutes later, as we were walking away, and asked if he could come over to talk. I guess since he'd already confided in me before about his family before, he felt comfortable talking to me."

Mercedes rolled over onto her side, resting her hand under her head, listening.

"But I have to say, what he actually wanted to talk about…I was surprised." He laughed a little. "Not in a bad way though. I just couldn't believe I didn't see what was going on between the two of you. When he told me, I sat there with my mouth hanging open, probably looking like Brittany in the middle of one of Mr. Schue's Spanish lessons." He laughed again, picturing Brittany right now, no doubt.

Mercedes let out a soft groan and closed her eyes.

"But Mercedes, he's pretty out of it right now. He's really…confused, I guess."

"Confused?"

"Yeah." She could see him nodding. "He doesn't know how much you want this. Or if you want it at all-"

"What? How could you say that? Of course I want this. Of course I want to be with him."

"Hey, I believe you. Since you finally found the courage to tell me, I believe you. But it's not me you need to be telling this."

"I _know_ that. But how am I supposed to tell him when he doesn't want to see me?"

Kurt was silent once more. "Are you serious right now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Mercedes, go find the boy."

"But-"

"You need to find him and tell him what you told me. Tell him that you want to be with him. Tell him every single little dirty detail on your mind. Let your fantasies run wild. Better yet, maybe you should _show_ him."

"Kurt…" Mercedes felt a mild heat rush to her cheeks.

"I'm serious. That's really all he needs to hear, I'm sure. Just let him know how you feel. Sam's a guy you don't want to lose. And by the way he was talking about you, he doesn't want to lose you either."

She smiled into the phone. "I don't believe this." She said, laughing softly. "How are you such an expert at relationships?"

"Oh, I don't know. I guess that's just what happens to a guy when he has the best boyfriend _ever_." Kurt argued.

Mercedes tilted her head back and laughed louder than before. "Ok, Mr. Romantic. I get it."

"I'm serious though."

"That's the thing. I know you are." Mercedes continued, still laughing and shaking her head. "Anyway, do you have any idea where I might be able to find him? Like, did he say where he was going?"

"Back to the park. He wasn't ready to go home yet. I'm not sure if he's still there, since it's getting dark, but it's worth a shot, right?"

"Right." Mercedes said immediately. "Thanks, Kurt. Love you. I wouldn't know what I'd do without you. And I'm sorry for keeping this whole thing a secret."

"Don't worry about it. Just spill next time something big happens, got it?"

"Got it."

"And Mercedes?"

"Yeah?" she answered breathlessly, hopping off the bed and pulling on her shoes.

"I'm really happy for you. For the both of you. I hope you get this sorted out soon." He stopped and then added, in a brighter tone, "Then you and Sam and Blaine and I can double!"

Mercedes giggled. "I'm going to hold you to that. And thank you. For everything."

"You're welcome. Now go find your man!"

* * *

><p>Mercedes rushed out of her room and headed downstairs right after hanging up with Kurt. The only guess she had as to where Sam would be was the park, and she had to be quick if she wanted to catch him before it was completely dark. There were hardly any streetlights in Lima's local park and getting lost in it would not be a good thing.<p>

Not that it was as big as Central Park in New York City, but still.

"Going somewhere?"

Just as her hand touched the doorknob, she heard his voice. Blunt and dramatic and annoying. She let out a heavy breath.

"How the hell…" she whispered. "What, do you just appear out of nowhere? Go back to your business."

"Ha, sorry. I've always wanted to say that though."

She rolled her eyes and looked over her shoulder that him. "You're so immature, do you know that?"

_Why are you even standing here talking to this jerk? GO FIND SAM. _Her mind screamed.

"Eh." He shrugged. "Life's short. Gotta live it up somehow."

"Whatever. I don't have time for you and your life mottos."

"Oh, is it date night?"

"Very funny." She said, turning back around to face him. Seeing that usual smug look on his face sent a shot of rage through her. "You know what?" she walked straight up to him and pointed a finger to his chest. "I could yell and scream and throw a fit and maybe even hit you right now. And trust me, I want to. _So much_."

Marcus stood in front of her, only a few inches taller, with his arms folded across his chest.

"But I'm going to be the bigger person. Yeah, that's right. Your _younger_ _sister_ is going to be the mature one and she's _not _going to go batshit crazy on you."

"Mercedes, remember the language? And is it really that serious?"

"You know, at this point Marcus, I don't care about my _language. _And yes, it is _that _serious, if you didn't notice. Now leave me alone and go back to watching your little cartoons so I can go find my boyfriend."

She didn't wait for him to argue back, she already wasted enough of her precious time on him. She just darted out the door.

* * *

><p>Mercedes hopped in her car and drove like a mad woman over to Lima's tiny park. Quickly, she found a parking spot just outside and got out.<p>

Minutes felt like hours as she walked the path that routed its way perfectly through the entire area. Her heart sank as she walked past the playground swings and the small tennis court only to find it completely deserted. There didn't seem to be a person in sight.

Left and right her head turned, searching for that familiar blond head. That untamable mess of blond hair, that's all she needed to see.

She felt as if she had walked the entire park three times over, before she was reduced to admitting to herself that Sam just wasn't here. He'd left. He'd finally given up and went home. She pinched the bridge of her nose, frustrated with herself.

"What are you doing?" she whispered. What was left of the sunlight casted multiple long, creepy shadows off the trees, across the grass and onto pathway. She thought she spotted a nearby bench and started walking towards it.

But she stopped when something caught her eye.

Not too far from where she was standing, was a person. Leaning against a tree, hands behind their head. Relaxing. Mercedes couldn't tell what he was wearing. The dark shadows from the surrounding trees kept her from figuring that out. And he _looked _like he was blond, as far as she could tell.

She hesitated for a few seconds.

_Oh, damn it. Just go up to him! What have you got to lose?_

Her feet started moving. She was becoming awesome at giving herself pep talks.

She started off slow, but moved faster as she approached. Her feet were silent on the grass as she moved closer, and in anticipation, she stretched out a hand towards him.

She was sure it was him. It had to be.

"Hey," she said, a little arms length away. The darkness was playing tricks with her vision and she still couldn't see what he was wearing.

As soon as she spoke however, the person turned and his face and body was moved out of the shadows and into direct light from the dark sunset.

Only, this wasn't a man. It was a woman. Her hair was cut short, and it was a pale blond color, almost white. The woman pulled an earbud out of her ear, and a loud rock type music filtered up to Mercedes' ears.

"Can I help you?" The woman asked, obviously annoyed that Mercedes had interrupted her alone time.

"Oh…" Mercedes mumbled, stepping back. "Uh, I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else. Um, sorry."

The woman stared at Mercedes for a few seconds then rolled her eyes. She pushed the earbud back into her ear and leaned back onto the tree, relaxing again.

"What the hell is she doing just sitting there so late at night?" Mercedes whispered to herself. She took another few steps back. "Now where am I going to find Sam?" She turned around to keep walking, but as soon as she did…

_CRASH._

Not seeing a thing in the almost darkness, she had tripped over something and fell back, flat onto the grass. It was a tangled mess of limbs, as she felt someone's arms and legs moving. She struggled to get up and away, apologizing over and over again for not looking where she was going.

"I'm so, so sorry. I didn't see you. I'm sorry."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm really sorry." she repeated, not paying the slightest attention to whatever the person was saying. She got up and kept walking. She didn't want to look back. She didn't want to see another angry face. She just wanted to find Sam, and so far, this search was turning out to be a bust.

"Wait!" she barely heard the voice as it called out to her. She pushed it out of her mind. She had to concentrate on finding Sam.

"Come on!" the voice said again. She had to ignore it. If she walked far and fast enough, maybe the person would get tired and leave her alone. She just tripped, that was all. It's not like she injured anyone. Hopefully.

"Wait." The voice was getting clearer and definitely closer. She continued to ignore it. Mercedes tried to pick up speed, ready to dash to her car. She didn't have time to waste, confronting a stranger would hold her back. She had to find him.

She had to find Sam. Or she would lose him.

But as she picked up her feet and made up her mind to run, a hand grazed her skin and gripped her gently right below her elbow.

"Mercedes, please."

Only then, when the stranger had said her name, did she allow herself to focus on his voice. And how his hand held onto her, gently, with that familiar tender touch. How her name had sounded, coming out of his mouth. She had always loved how he said her name. Like it was natural, effortless.

Apparently, when he realized she wouldn't dart off again, he let go of her arm.

When he did, there was an unwanted chill that ran up the length of that arm. She suddenly felt cold, despite the warm summer night's breeze that had been blowing. Reaching around to rub the spot his hand was just touching, Mercedes couldn't take it any longer. She turned to face the stranger.

Sam stood in front of her, his face serious and sad, but kind, nonetheless. His hair was disheveled and out of place, but she forced herself against reaching out and tucking the loose locks behind his ear. This wasn't the time for that. Fixing his hair wouldn't make him take her back. She needed to be completely honest and straight with him.

"Hi." She said. Her voice was quiet and small.

"Hi." He answered.

Mercedes swallowed. Why did it feel like there was suddenly this major gap between them? Like there was this major distance as if the past few weeks hadn't even happened.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

_Of course. _She thought, looking up at him. _Of course he would stop being mad at me for a few seconds to ask if I'm ok. Sam would do that._

Mercedes nodded.

"I'm fine. Are you ok?"

He nodded as well and scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, don't worry about it."

An awkward silence fell between them. Mercedes looked down at her hands as a battle raged on in her mind.

What had she come here to do? Yes, to find Sam. And she had found him. So what was she supposed to do after that? _Talk to him. _Kurt had told her. That's all she had to do. Apologize. Spill her guts. Just…tell him exactly how she felt. _Show him. _Kurt's words echoed in her mind.

Minutes passed.

Maybe the silence was getting to him, because Sam turned slowly and started to walk away, shoulders slightly slumped.

"No…wait. Please." Mercedes pleaded. And this time, she reached out her own hand to catch him, to make him stay. She wrapped her fingers around his wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

"I have something to say. Or, a lot of things, actually. Things I should have said back at the house that I was too stupid to say at the time. I know you're upset with me. I know I hurt you. But please…just hear me out. And if, when I'm finished, you still feel the same, I'll understand."

Sam didn't move. He didn't turn to look at her, but she knew that he was giving her his full attention. She lightened her hold on his wrist and let go. With a deep breath, she began.

"The truth is that, Sam, I…"

* * *

><p><strong>Ah! I'm sorry. After being gone so long, I know a cliffhanger is probably exactly what you all don't want right about now. But I couldn't resist. It was just there and available and I had to take the chance :)<strong>

**Stay tuned!  
><strong>


	14. The Best at McKinley

**Hey, ever****yone! Sorry for the long wait. I'm back in school and I started my classes this past week, so I was a little backed up. But I'm still going to continue, so here you go! Hope you enjoy :)**

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><p><em>Sam had turned and started walking away.<em>

_"No…wait. Please." Mercedes pleaded. And this time, she reached out her own hand to catch him, to make him stay. She wrapped her fingers around his wrist, stopping him in his tracks._

_"I have something to say. Or, a lot of things, actually. Things I should have said back at the house that I was too stupid to say at the time. I know you're upset with me. I know I hurt you. But please…just hear me out. And if, when I'm finished, you still feel the same, I'll understand."_

_Sam didn't move. He didn't turn to look at her, but she knew that he was giving her his full attention. She lightened her hold on his wrist and let go. With a deep breath, she began._

"The truth is that, Sam, I was scared. I doubted what we had and I thought that if I kept it from everyone, if we kept it a secret, then it'd be easier than seeing people give us funny looks or hearing them whisper about us in the hall."

Sam still hadn't looked at her, but she noticed that his body had shifted slightly in her direction. She continued.

"I was _never_ ashamed of you. That's one thing you have to believe. I just couldn't see why you would choose someone like me. And I thought that if people knew about us, they would only make things bad for the both of us, and I didn't want us to have to go through that."

It was quiet as she paused to gather her thoughts.

"But...I've done a lot of thinking and I realized that none of it _matters_ to me anymore. I was letting it all get to my head, jumping to conclusions, when all I was supposed to be focusing on was _us_. I should have realized that you were there for me, like you told me over and over, but I chose to resort to panicking instead. I shouldn't have shut you out, and I'm sorry for that."

He was quiet for a long time. Mercedes felt choked by each silent second that passed. She swallowed hard, desperately hoping that he would accept her apology right then and there. Her voice shook as she spoke, but she was determined not to start crying. There was no time for that.

"You know," Sam began. He absentmindedly kicked a few small rocks away from where he stood. "It didn't bother me when I realized how uncomfortable you felt that day at the hotel or even when you were worrying about what people would say. I mean, yes, it bothered me, but not too much, really. It doesn't matter how many times I need to remind you, I'll always let you know how beautiful and wonderful you are, because you _deserve_ to hear it. But…it all got to be so much, with your parents and your brother and…Mercedes, that was your _family_. If you couldn't be honest with them, how would you be able to tell anyone else the truth about us?"

Mercedes' arms fell lightly to her sides.

"Sam…"

"I need to be sure that you won't cave in on me again."

He turned to face her now.

"I need to be sure that you want this as much as I do. Can I be sure about that? I don't want to pressure you into anything though, so if not, then I'll walk away, right now. We can be friends. No hard feelings."

She started shaking her head before he even finished.

"No, don't walk away. This wasn't _me_. All that worrying and self-doubt, that wasn't me at all, and I'm even more embarrassed that you had to see me like that."

She stood there, arms folded tight across her chest, feeling like that was the only thing holding her up. She didn't say another thing as she stared at him, going over a few thoughts in her mind.

Sam was the only person she ever really allowed herself to get close to, to be vulnerable. She had let down her guard with him once before, but she ran away, scared and embarrassed. Mercedes had felt horrible after the fact, but there was nothing she could do to change what had happened, despite Sam's assurance that he understood how she felt.

But, she could still make a difference right now. If she wanted him, if she truly _wanted _to be with him, she would have to push her insecurities aside. So she took a deep breath. Her voice shook, but she ignored it. She was determined now, as determined as she ever was.

And then, with the right mind-set, when she spoke again, she was surprised to hear that it resembled none of her current feelings. While she was aching inside and ready to burst into tears, her voice was firm, clear, and completely honest.

"I just want to be with you." She began, speaking slowly so that every word out of her mouth would be understood. "All the drama, all the worries, they're gone. I want to be with you, Sam. No secrets this time. Just you and me."

Mercedes paused. Scenes from her imagination flashed through her mind, one by one, a montage of moments that hadn't yet happened. She smiled, more to herself than to Sam, and looked down before closing her eyes.

"I want to walk into glee club holding your hand." She pictured the two of them, talking and laughing as they walked into that familiar choir room. They were happy. "I want us to sing duets together and crush Finn and Rachel in singing competitions like I know we would if we had the chance." She pictured Sam, his guitar in hand, singing with her on stage in the auditorium. Again, they were happy. "I want to help you babysit Stacey and Stevie and I want to be the last one you kiss goodnight, after we put them to bed." An image of the motel's dim-lit parking lot appeared in her mind. "Next year, I want to be your prom date, and I _don't _want to share you with anyone else." Instinctively, her hands flew to her hips. She hadn't meant to do so, but she kept them there to prove her point.

And then she heard him chuckle, low and soft, and watched as he folded his arms.

"But most of all," she said, her voice lowering to a normal tone. "I want you to know that I'm ready to face anything the halls of McKinley or this dead-end town want to throw at us. Good or bad and everything in between. I can ignore it all, if I can just be with you. And I _want _to. You can be sure of that."

Sam didn't respond when she finished, and she had expected that much. He just shoved both hands into his pockets and stared up at the night sky, seeming lost in thought.

"You're amazing, Sam. You should know that. I probably haven't said that much lately, but I mean it. So much."

And then, Mercedes waited. She would wait forever if she had to, for him to accept her apology. But after what honestly seemed like hours of tortured silence, he finally said something.

He looked up at her with the smallest hint of a smile on his face. "Well," There was a slight pause before he continued, "that makes me really happy." And that was it. He was so awkwardly cute, even though he wasn't really trying to be. She watched as his smile grew wider. "But, just to be sure. On Monday, we're going to walk into school. Together." He walked over to her and Mercedes' breath quickened as he reached out and took her hands. She hadn't expected him to get so close so fast. Standing over her, he looked into her eyes, his expression serious. "We're not going to hide it. We're going to show them."

She smiled, responding immediately to his challenge. "We're going to show them all that we're a couple."

Sam grinned. "The _best_ at McKinley."

Slowly, he leaned down towards her ear and whispered, "And thank you." He planted a soft kiss on her cheek. "For coming to find me. For telling me the truth. And, just so you know, everything you said you wanted? I want it all too." He thought for a moment. "But maybe we can sneak in a little bit more than a goodnight kiss after we put Stacey and Stevie to bed, hm?" Mercedes laughed and tilted her head up to look at him. His blond hair fell down towards her face, almost touching her skin. She reached up to play with a few strands.

"You never know." She said with an evil smile. "But you don't have to thank me. I did it because I wanted to make things right. I couldn't stand knowing you were mad at me."

He looked down into her eyes for a moment, and then let go of one of her hands. "Come on." He said, linking his fingers through hers. He walked her over to where his letterman jacket lay, its dark red fabric almost pitch black in the darkness.

When they reached the spot, Sam pulled her down onto the grass and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her against his chest. Mercedes smiled, surprised with his sudden actions and thrilled to be in his arms again. Looking back, the last several hours they had spent apart, angry and frustrated with one another, looked cold and gloomy compared to how things looked right now.

She took up one of his hands and started to play with it, running her fingers along his own. "You know, I never told you, but I've always had a thing for your hands."

Sam was quiet for a few seconds. Then he burst out laughing. It shook his body and sent vibrations through her spine as she leaned against him. When he realized Mercedes didn't join in with his laughter, he quieted himself down immediately.

"Wait…you're serious?"

She nodded.

"Every time you played your guitar in glee club, I loved watching your hands move. You made it seem so easy. That's why I jumped at the chance to help when Quinn told us that you had sold off your guitar. I couldn't stand knowing that you wouldn't be playing for us anymore. That, and when you paired your guitar playing with your singing, I would…" her voice trailed off into silence.

"What?" he urged.

"No, never mind. It's too cheesy."

"What, tell me. I won't laugh."

"You did when I told you I had a thing for your hands."

"Well, I won't this time. Promise."

Mercedes looked up into his face again. His expression was pretty blank.

"I don't know…" she started.

"Come on, Mercy. Please? For me?"

It did something to her, when he called her Mercy. Just like the first time he did when they were in New York.

"Fine." She said, frustrated that she let him get to her. "It made me melt, ok? Your voice made me melt, even though I didn't know that we would be dating just a few weeks later. Are you happy now?"

"See? That wasn't hard at all." He said, wrapping his arms around her tighter. "And because you were so honest, I'll sing for you anytime you want, baby."

Mercedes laughed. "You're such a dork."

"But I'm _your _dork."

"Oh my god." She said, cracking up. It took her a little while to compose herself, but when she did, another thought came to mind.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Of course." He rested his chin on her shoulder and stared at her mouth. "I love watching those lips move."

"I could say the same thing about you." She clutched at his hand. Staring down at their intertwined fingers, she noticed nothing out of the ordinary about the two of their hands. All that she saw were the hands of two people that didn't want to let go of each other anytime soon. "Why did you come here, of all places? And when it was getting dark too. Why didn't you go home instead of lying out in the grass?"

"Were you worried about me?" Sam asked, clearly teasing.

"Well, yes...and no. Obviously there's really nothing to be afraid of in Lima, other than the occasional high school bully."

"Occasional." Sam agreed.

"But I don't know. I mean...Sam, I tripped _over_ you. Why were you lying in the grass?"

"But I wasn't in the grass. I was on my jacket." He pulled at the sleeve of the jacket she was sitting on.

"Come on, you know what I mean." She said, swatting his leg.

"Ok, ok." He sat back on his hands, and Mercedes shifted around to look at him. Though it was still hard to see, she could make out his features quite well when they were this close. "You want the truth?"

"Yes, please."

"Well, I don't know. I guess this park was the closest I could get in relation to Central Park."

Central Park? What did that have to do with anything?

"I'm not following you..." Mercedes admitted.

"Remember? Our first date? I mean, yeah it wasn't anything special, but it was the first time we felt completely comfortable being together with other people around. We didn't hide or avoid each other, because we both didn't care. I guess I was sort of wishing we were back in New York, back in Central Park, when we never had this stupid argument. And of course, we don't have anything close to Central Park here, so I had to make due with the next best thing." He raised an arm to show off the environment around them.

"I guess parks have a whole new meaning to us now, huh?" Mercedes asked, crawling closer to him.

Sam's eyes widened slightly, but his tone of voice stayed the same. "Sure has. So I threw my jacket on the grass and just lay here. Remembering. It actually helped me clear my mind, funny enough. I probably would have fallen asleep if you hadn't come and tripped over me though."

Mercedes grinned. "Sorry about that. Are you hurt?" Her eyes scanned his body, though if he was really injured, she wouldn't be able to tell.

"Nope. No worries." She continued towards him, her eyes locked on his.

"I can make it up to you, if you want."

Sam hesitated. "Here? In the park? But-"

"That didn't seem to bother you in New York, remember? You were all for some loving then, in a park full of people and now there's not even anyone around."

"Hey, I didn't say I was against it."

"Good. So hush up now and kiss me."

He smiled and reached out to rest both his hands on either side of her face.

"Just for the record, I can never turn down a request like that from you."

"You wouldn't be my Sam if you did." She said with a smile.

"Hm," he chuckled. "I like that. And you're my Mercedes." He thought for a second. "Oh. Yeah, I _love_ the sound of that!"

"Sam!" She yanked at his hair. "Way to ruin the moment." she grumbled.

"Ow! Why do you always go for the hair?" He rubbed the sore spot and eyed his girlfriend. She was laughing like usual and he realized, like usual, the only way to stop her was to torture her.

Torture her with tickles and soft kisses wherever his lips could touch.

* * *

><p>It was quite a while before the two of them left the park, hand in hand, Sam's letterman jacket draped over Mercedes' shoulders. Once again, Mercedes pictured the both of them walking into a glee club meeting, just like this, greeting their friends and Mr. Schue for the first time as an official couple.<p>

The thought made her smile and she leaned her head against his shoulder.

_Why didn't I see things like this before? _She asked herself. _I would have saved us so much time if I just stopped with all the worrying. I'm _such_ an idiot._

But, she realized, out of everything that happened, she wouldn't change a single thing. Meeting Sam, really getting to know him, being alone with him, letting her guard down, becoming vulnerable, laughing with him, letting him see her hurt, seeing _him _hurt, apologizing, making up. It was all necessary for their relationship to grow.

And their relationship will continue to grow; they both know that.

It's funny, if you think about it. How was _anyone_ to know that the small moment where they first locked eyes under those corny paper streamers at prom would lead them to where they were now? It's hard to say, really.

But it happened, regardless of anyone's guess.

And that's all that really matters.

_"Caught in a moment,  
>We lived and we loved,<br>We hurt and we jumped.  
>But the planets all aligned,<br>When you looked into my eyes,**  
>And just like that<strong>__**, watch the chemicals react**__."_

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><p>"I <em>can't <em>believe you didn't call me and let me know this was going on." Sam folded his arms angrily across his chest as Mercedes pulled up in front of the Lima Bean coffee shop. His lips pouted out and he frowned.

It was their first day back at school since they lost Nationals, and both Sam and Mercedes had agreed that coffee was greatly needed before they had to face the multiple slushies that seemed to be a part of their everyday routine. However, a slip in conversation led to Sam almost having a panic attack in Mercedes' car.

"Really?" Mercedes asked, sarcastically. "I mean, was it really _that _big of a deal? Besides, you don't have a cell phone, remember?" She tried her best not to reach over and plant a kiss on his pouty lips of his so she focused her attention on not bumping into the car in front of her.

"Yeah, but you know the number at the motel. You could have called that. We do have a phone in the room, you know."

"Sam, I can't believe you're acting like this-"

"Are you kidding me? I mean, you _finally _get a chance to finish watching Avatar and you _don't _let me watch it with you? I don't get it." He threw his hands up in frustration. "I really don't get it."

Mercedes laughed as she turned the keys and shut the car off. "Well it's just that I couldn't have you watching it with me and my family, seeing as you got all turned on by the sex scene the last time we were watching."

Immediately, Sam's cheeks turned a light shade of pink. He tried to defend himself.

"That's not fair bringing that up."

"Of course it is."

"No, it's not. I was a man that was tempted by your gorgeous-sexy-presence. It had nothing to do with the movie, and you know that."

She thought for a moment. "Are you tempted right now?" She smiled seductively and watched as his eyes widened, but then returned to normal in the next second.

"We better go. Kurt and Blaine are waiting for us." And within moments, he had unbuckled his seat belt and was out the door.

Mercedes frowned and stared at him. He was standing there, outside, not really looking at her, but he had a grin on his face that was just plain irritating. She got out as well and shut the door behind her.

"Very funny." She said.

"What?"

"You know _what_." She pointed her keys at him. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"You wanted to kiss me, didn't you?" he laughed, hitching his book bag higher on his back. "So who's tempted _now?" _he called out to her. He laughed again, but this time, it was done in such a cheesy, evil-bad-guy sort of way, that she couldn't even be annoyed with him.

She had no other choice but to roll her eyes and laugh as well.

"See? You can't even stay mad at me." He walked over to her all proud and triumphant and slipped his hand into hers.

"Guess not." She linked her fingers through his and together they started towards the front door. But before they could step inside, Mercedes put a hand to his chest and stopped him.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked, searching her eyes. "Do you not want to hold hands yet? It's okay if you-"

But before he could finish his sentence, Mercedes had taken it upon herself to quickly wrap her arms around his neck and pull him in for a deep kiss. His eyes grew wide and his cheeks grew hot, but that didn't stop him from kissing back. Mercedes smiled, content that her decision had surprised him. She ran her fingers through his hair, causing it to go everywhere, like usual.

Slowly, he placed his hands on her hips and pulled her close. They didn't know who was staring. They didn't care, at this point. All that mattered was that his lips were on hers, and hers were on his.

But, of course, they _were _kind of standing in the doorway. And it wasn't until someone cleared their throat loudly did they realize that they weren't the only two people in the world.

"Oh…hey! Look…who's here already."

Sam and Mercedes broke apart, breathing heavily, to see Kurt and a wide-eyed Blaine standing in front of them. Kurt was beaming ear to ear and Blaine chanced a small wave.

"Heyyy!" Sam said awkwardly, turning towards them. Mercedes laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Hey, you two. Ready to go in?" she asked, sliding her hand into Sam's again.

Kurt nodded and grabbed Blaine's arm, tugging him towards the door.

Mercedes and Sam followed in their wake. As Sam held the door open for a thrilled Mercedes, he bent down and whispered, "What was that all about?"

"What? Your girlfriend can't just decide to kiss you in public, completely out of the blue?" she faked surprise.

Sam stood back. "No, no of course not. My girlfriend can do whatever she wants to do to me in public. Completely out of the blue, too. I like it unpredictable."

Mercedes raised an eyebrow.

"You know, speaking of unpredictable. I've been thinking about something for a while. I have a question for you, completely out of the blue, too."

They started towards where Kurt and Blaine had already found seats.

"Shoot." Sam said.

"Remember when we were on our way to New York? And we were with Kurt and Rachel at that coffee spot in the airport?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"What was that story that you never wanted to tell us? You're embarrassing moment with a family member."

Sam thought for a minute before he turned a bright shade of red. He seemed to be doing that a lot these days.

"Uh…"

"Come on, you can't hide it anymore. It's not allowed. I want to know."

"Ha," he laughed awkwardly and reached up to scratch the back of his head.

"Sam, I want-"

"Oh, hey Kurt! Blaine!" he shouted, waving towards the two boys. The both of them looked up and smiled, and Kurt waved back confusedly. "Come on, Mercy, don't want to keep them waiting."

And he grabbed her hand and speed-walked her towards the table.

"What's going on?" Sam asked, dropping down immediately into the seat opposite Blaine.

"Everything okay?" Kurt asked. "You guys were whispering a lot over there."

"Yeah, sure everything-"

"He's just avoiding answering a question I had for him. Nothing to worry about. I'll get it out of him soon enough."

Sam opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. He had nothing to say.

Kurt smiled kindly and put his hand on Sam's.

"You might want to rethink not telling her. She can get a little crazy when she really wants something." Sam glanced over at Mercedes to see her seductive smile back in place. She winked at him.

He groaned inwardly.

He could already tell that his first day back was going to be long and sexually frustrating, thanks to none other than Mercedes Jones.

* * *

><p><strong>SO, I decided to change up that famous Lima Bean scene that happened at the end of "New York", just so I could make it fit my storyline better.<strong>

**I hope you enjoyed that surprise kiss from Mercedes, too. She was planning that all along, no doubt ;) And don't worry, there is lots of serious Samcedes loving to come. Stay tuned and thanks for reading!**

_**PS: I'm planning on making a continuation fic to this, just so it isn't dragging on in chapters. But I'll let you all know what I'm going to do when I really decide :)**_


	15. In Their Own Little World

**Hey everyone! So what did you think of the season 3 premiere? I really enjoyed it, but I felt that it lacked in the Trouty Mouth department, didn't you? :( But anyway, enough from me, I hope you enjoy the final update of Out of My Element!**

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><p>Sam was lucky he didn't have many classes with Mercedes. Don't get him wrong, he would have loved to spend as much time as possible with her while at school, but he knew for a fact that if she was with him in class he would not have paid any attention to what his teachers were saying. Dyslexia + Mercedes Jones did not equal good grades.<p>

They had gotten to school a few minutes later than they had expected to, so they said their rushed goodbyes and darted towards their respective homerooms. Aside from lunch, they hardly had much time to spend with each other during the day and it was draining to constantly look at the clock and see that you still had another forty-five, then thirty, and then fifteen minutes until the last bell rang.

When they were finally let out of class, Sam hurried to his locker and forced his books inside the small space. Then, after slamming the door shut, he was off to find her.

Mercedes smiled as he approached her. Left and right, students flocked down the hallways, eager to leave the building that had trapped them indoors for the past eight or so hours.

"Ready for glee club?" Sam asked, leaning against the locker next to hers.

"Hold on, I have something else in mind." Mercedes placed the last of her belongings into her locker and closed it. Sam eyed her suspiciously.

"What's going on?"

"You'll see." She looked around her. A few students were hovering near the doors leading outside, but other than that, the hall seemed to have been completely drained of all life in all but a few minutes. Just goes to show you how much stress school can put on students. People could hardly last another minute in the place. "Come on." Mercedes said. And with one more quick glance up and down the hall, she pulled Sam into a nearby empty classroom.

Sam followed along behind her like a hungry puppy, his eyes wide but full of excitement.

"You know what? I like this Mercedes." He said, pulling his wrist out of her grip. He placed his hands on her hips from behind instead. Mercedes laughed and closed her eyes as his lips drifted down to her neck.

"I bet you do."

"Aren't you worried we'll get caught?" he whispered.

"Are you kidding?" she turned around to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "It's after school. No one uses this classroom anyway."

"We should probably get to glee club."

Mercedes looked up at him and shook her head. "They can wait for us. Besides, since when have you been known to pass up some good loving?"

Pushing herself to the tips of her toes, she reached up to brush her lips against Sam's. But however soft and gentle she wanted to be, Sam was quite the opposite. His lips seemed to crush hers with a fierce kind of longing.

He walked them over to the teacher's desk mid-kiss. When Mercedes felt the edge of the desk hit the backs of her legs, she scooted herself onto to edge of it, barely noticing that there were papers and pens scattered on its surface. Sam pushed himself between her legs, trying to stifle a whimper as she wrapped them around his body.

"We're…in school…" Sam suddenly gasped.

"I know…" Mercedes said. She ran her hands down the front of his shirt and giggled. "Exciting, right?"

"You have no idea…" he kissed her again.

Mercedes laughed and pushed her fingers through his hair. "Oh, I think I do…"

Sam blushed, but kept kissing her.

Slowly, she leaned back onto the desk. Taking the hint, Sam leaned over her, his hands flying towards the zipper of her hoodie.

"Mmm." She groaned as his soft fingers found their way inside her shirt. "You're hands…so warm…"

"Oh. You like my hands, right?" Sam grinned, remembering her little confession in the park. Mercedes didn't answer.

"Just kiss me." She blurted out breathlessly. Sam obeyed her request and moved his lips towards hers once more.

They were so absorbed in their own little world that they only faintly heard the door open and close behind them. They both heard someone's voice, the tone of it was sarcastic yet amused, and then there was laughing. Then there were footsteps, followed by the door opening and closing again. Finally, silence.

It took them a good several minutes to fully comprehend what had just happened. Sam pulled back and stared down at Mercedes, confusion littering his features.

"Did someone just…"

"Find us?" Mercedes nodded. "Looks like we've been caught." She laughed and pushed herself into a sitting position.

"Think it was someone from glee? I wasn't really paying attention…" Sam scratched the back of his head. Mercedes shrugged.

"I don't know. And I don't care, to be honest." She placed her arms on his shoulders as he grabbed at her hips. She turned her attention to the clock that was high up on the wall above the board and sighed. "I guess we'd better go now." She hopped off the edge of the table. "Think we made them wait long enough?"

"Yeah, they probably sent a search party for us."

"I wouldn't be surprised."

She took hold of his hand and started walking towards the door, but Sam stopped her before she could even reach within an arm's length of it.

"Hold on." He said quietly. She looked around at him and saw that his face was serious. His eyes had that sort of determined look in them that was normal for Sam when he set his mind on doing something.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I…have something to say."

Mercedes raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just…hold on." Quickly, Sam let go of her hand and hurried towards the door. He stuck his head out into the hallway for a few seconds, and then pulled back inside to face her. "I wanted to get this out of the way."

"You're acting weird. What is it?"

"My embarrassing moment…"

Mercedes smiled and then laughed. "_Ohhh._" She said. "You were scaring me for a second." she moved to sit in the closest desk she could find. "But wait. That's no fun. I was all prepared to torture you for it. You can't just give in and tell me."

"Well, I don't think I want to be tortured, even though it _does _sound tempting. And Kurt told me how you get when you want something."

"Please, I'm not _that-"_

"You busted the windows of his car."

Mercedes' eyes bulged.

"He told you…wait, when did he tell you this?"

"It's not important. What I'm _trying _to tell you-"

"Right. Okay. So you're finally ready to talk? For real this time?"

Sam nodded. "It was kind of mortifying. For me, anyway."

"That's the point. But hey, you know I won't tell anyone, right?" he nodded again and sat in the desk next to her.

"Ok so," he took a deep breath and looked at the floor before he launched into his story. "_So_…I was kind of home alone one day…you know, after school. And my mom usually took Stacey and Stevie over to a friend's house while I was in school, because they were too young at the time and no one was home to watch them." He paused, sending a nervous glance in her direction. Mercedes urged him to go on. "So, uh, anyway, I had went to my room," Mercedes was watching him carefully. His cheeks were already a light shade of pink and growing darker by the second. "And uh…you know…I was tired and I kinda wanted to relax and uh…one thing led to another…and I thought my door was locked…but it wasn't and uh…Stacey kind of barged in…_during_...and I, well, I freaked…but um…she still saw."

Mercedes bit her lip. "Wait. You mean she saw you…" Sam nodded quickly.

"Yeah…"

"Oh my god."

"I mean, she was little, so she didn't think anything of it. But I was terrified that she might say something to mom. So I kind of tried my best to avoid the family for a while, because I thought that there was some way my mom would find out and I was scared things were going to get awkward."

Mercedes smiled kindly and reached out to touch his hand. "You're right, that was probably more embarrassing than anything I've ever been through with my family. And Marcus is my brother, so that's saying something."

"There's more."

"What?" _How can there be more than that?_

"Yeah, so a few months after, I didn't really think too much of it again. It already happened, right? Stacey obviously didn't remember. So I just forgot it. Until it was around a family thing with a bunch of our relatives, that is." He laughed nervously. "My mom was showing everyone those _stupid _baby pictures that parents love to show off, and Stacey happened to be watching. There was one picture in particular of me, as a baby, in the bath. Stacey took one look at the picture, and in front of everyone she says," he paused for a second. Mercedes watched as he swallowed. "She says…'Sammy's thingie isn't that small. It's bigger than that.'"

Mercedes mouth fell open, but she closed it quickly, hoping to force back a laugh that was rising in her throat.

"You can laugh." Sam shook his head. "But after she said it, my entire family turned to stare at me. My aunts, uncles, cousins. Everyone. Even my grandmother. They were all laughing. I wanted to sink into the floor, I'm not kidding. I thought the little brat had forgotten," Mercedes playfully slapped him at the word 'brat', but he continued. "It was like she was saving the memory in the back of her mind to use it at a time where I would be most humiliated. And the worse part is that it worked."

Mercedes covered her mouth and Sam looked at her with a sheepish expression.

"I'm sorry." She managed to choke out. "It's just…" she started to laugh. "Does she remember what happened?"

"I don't know. And it's not like I'm going to bring it up to her."

"What did your parents say?"

"Mercedes, it's enough that I had to relive that memory to you. _Please_, don't make me deeper into it. I managed to push it away and not think about it, until that day when I brought it up to you."

Mercedes laughed and put a hand on his shoulder. "Ok, ok. I get it." She said, still laughing softly. "I won't bug you about it anymore."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

They stood up together and headed towards the door, hoping they hadn't missed too much of the meeting.

"But," Mercedes said softly as they started down the hall. "I'd really like to see for myself whether or not Stacey is right…"

It was a moment before Sam was able to fully process what Mercedes had just said. He stopped in his tracks, but she kept walking. She didn't turn to look at him until she reached the door. With a smile on her face, she stretched out a hand towards him, waiting for him to take it.

* * *

><p>Sam and Mercedes walked into the room, both of them smiling from ear to ear, their hands clasped tightly together. Sam swung their arms a little. Mercedes laughed.<p>

Santana was the first to notice them. She was sitting closest to the door they entered from and she looked up as soon as they walked in. An evil grin spread across her face and she shook her head.

"Finished already?" she asked, folding her arms. "A little too fast there, Sam, don't you think?"

"So _you _were the spy, Santana." Mercedes sat down in an empty chair next to Sam and folded her arms.

"She wasn't spying." Brittany interjected. "We were looking for an empty classroom too, but you guys stole our idea so we had to leave." Santana nudged an elbow at Brittany and shook her head.

"Wait, you guys were in an empty classroom together? Why?" Tina asked.

Mercedes smiled.

"So, wait. Are you together? As in, you're a couple? Is that why you came in holding hands?"

At that point, Kurt walked into the room. When he spotted Sam and Mercedes, he walked right up to the both of them.

"We're still on for Friday night, right you two? Blaine knows an amazing restaurant up near Dalton that we can go to. It'll beat going to Breadstix for once." He winked at them and Mercedes and Sam nodded their approval. Kurt clapped his hand excitedly and went to his seat.

"What? I don't understand, how can you people _not _want to go to Breadstix?" Santana looked at them like they had each suddenly sprouted four heads. "_How_."

"So you're dating?" Mike asked, obviously still feeling out of the loop.

"Of course they're dating." Puck said, speaking up for the first time. "_I_ noticed light years ago. But all of you people were too slow to pick up on the signs. I mean, come on. They were sneaking looks at each other left and right when we were in New York. How could you miss it?" He shook his head.

"And _don't_ get me started on that hug after our Nationals performance." Lauren added.

"Exactly." Puck agreed.

"You know, come to think of it, they were the only ones missing that day we went to lunch in New York." Santana remembered.

Sam and Mercedes looked at each other and grinned. Artie rolled over and clapped him on the back, saying congrats.

Looking around the room, everyone but Rachel, Finn, and Mr. Schue were here. Sam's eyes lingered on Quinn for a second, who sat far away from everyone, her attention focused on a magazine she was reading.

He hoped she was ok. They may not have been together anymore and though going back to Quinn was not something he saw in his future, he wasn't a cold-hearted person. He hoped that things worked out for her, and that, whatever it was, she would be happy.

Because, truth be told, he had found his special someone and he couldn't be happier. With the approval of their families and now their friends, everything seemed to be looking up. And Sam was determined not to let anything or anyone ruin that.

_This is going to be one crazy fun summer vacation. _He thought, just as Mr. Schue entered the classroom carrying their tiny, 12th place Nationals trophy.

* * *

><p><strong>So that is it! The last chapter of Out of My Element! I really hope you all enjoyed it, and I thank you so much for every single review you have taken the time to give me over the course of this fic. I appreciate it more than you can imagine!<strong>

**And just as a heads up, following this, I will be writing a continuation fic. Not sure when it will be posted, but trust that it will be soon!**

**Really though, thanks for sticking with me and Samcedes. Love these two!_  
><em>**


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